


The man in the velvet mask

by siriala



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Prison, Bottom Steve McGarrett, Extremely Dubious Consent, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt Steve McGarrett, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Power Imbalance, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Top Danny "Danno" Williams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-05 16:14:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 81,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18832147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriala/pseuds/siriala
Summary: "Warden Williams, the prisoner hereby placed under your care is to be kept apart from any and all convicts and visitors. You will be the only one to come into his close vicinity and allowed to see his face, ensuring that no one else might have cause to. His identity and crimes will be a secret just as well guarded by you. The prisoner's name, Lord Steven J. McGarrett, is all you need to know at this moment, and the fact that, two years ago, he was found scheming against the crown. It is your duty, as an officer and a gentleman, to make sure he won't be able to put your king's life at risk ever again. To this effect, you are forbidden to mention anything about the prisoner to any enquiry, so as not to alert to his presence the ones who would try to withdraw him from the righteous consequences of the king's law."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the 2019 [H50 big bang challenge](http://h50bigbang.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr. It was supposed to be a 20,000-word fic at most, but it kept on growing as months flew by, eating pretty much all my free time at the worst possible time of the year work-wise (when I have to bring work back home), and forced me to give up on another challenge I had signed up for, so hopefully a few of you will enjoy this one.
> 
> This isn't the first story I wrote for this fandom, but this is the first I finished and posted. So fair warning, English isn't my first language ; my fantastic friend and beta honscot gets all the praises and applause for making this fic readable in the little bit of time I gave her. All remaining mistakes are my own since I'm almost as stubborn as Steve and don't always follow her advice.
> 
> Thanks also to the mods who organized this great challenge !
> 
> A few notes about the story itself :  
> As the title implies, it's of course partly inspired by the story of [The man in the iron mask](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_in_the_Iron_Mask) but it's just a very, very small part of it. 
> 
> Some bad things happen to the main characters before and during the course of the story, but it's still a pretty romanticized depiction of the prison environment that has nothing to do with reality, especially in some far away times when justice was not seen as we do nowadays.
> 
> A [lettre de cachet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettre_de_cachet) was a direct written order from the king to execute law against someone without trial, here extended to the people giving orders in the king's name. I decided to use the French expression as is to get a sense of alternate universe from the get-go. In the same spirit, I went through a lot of articles about the different titles used through history and many countries (of English language especially), and came up with something that probably looks a lot like a mashup of references. It seemed appropriate for an AU set in a country I also made up – I see the place where my characters live as a huge island/continent comprised of many provinces, Jersey being up north and Hawaii down in the south. Bottom line, if you're a history buff, or even if you live in a place where, for example, bailiff is a real, current job, ignore your knowledge and stick with my own definitions as explained inside the story ;) Same with the locations and names of places that I tweaked to make them that little bit AU too and still vaguely recognizable. Look at that and anything you deem anachronistic as the mark of the difference between our world and this alternate one.

_Prologue_

Steve squats and surveys the open area. The place is empty, no servants nor guards to get in his way. It's a bit surprising, considering this is a governor's mansion, but maybe Jameson likes his privacy.

Next office he checks, Steve finally finds two men, but they're both deeply asleep, heads down in their folded arms. Steve makes sure to be super stealthy when he gets close enough to see if one of them might be Jameson, but the Asian traits ensure that neither of them is a likely candidate. He's never seen Jameson before, but all accounts describe him as a tall Caucasian male.

Something in Steve's gut is telling him to walk away now, that something's awfully wrong here, that it looks too much like a trap. But sometimes you have to take chances to get the allies you need and you don't get the luxury to listen to your fears. The thing is, Steve needs Jameson's support and information too much to stop now if he wants to keep the fight alive. Plus some part of himself needs to know what's going on here. Maybe help the poor guys who have obviously been drugged.

So he keeps going.

Three offices down and two more assistants deeply asleep later, his gut is now yelling at him but Steve enters what has to be Jameson's own suite, full of golden panels and pricy furniture.

And a body lying on the floor.

This time, Steve's pretty sure the man isn't asleep, but seriously dead. The bloody pools around his head and chest betray this fact, but Steve gets closer to try and see if there's something to be done for the poor guy. Kneeling, he turns the head, surprised when the nobleman's wig slides down and his face, now entirely uncovered, looks nicer, less angular maybe. As if the hard cut of the false _coiffure_ contained the attitude and power the wounded man might not need anymore.

Steve searches in vain for signs of life. There's no breath coming out of the mouth, no gentle beat at the wrist. The man is dead, period. And Steve would bet, if only because of the specific mask of a high servant of the crown still connected to his hand, that this is in fact the governor of the province, the one person he was coming out of hiding to meet.

The feeling of being trapped just gets stronger and stronger, supported by the noise of stomping feet, running out to converge towards the room Steve's in, in the company of a still warm body, conveniently killed by someone before the infamous Steven McGarrett came in.

The two doors leading to the office open at the same time and let in a gaggle of soldiers pushing to come first. To be able to say they arrested McGarrett.

Steve lets go of the governor's body and stands up, drawing his sword out to defend himself. But the soldiers ignore him, mouth gaping as they take in the display down next to his booted feet.

In the short fall down to the ground, the governor's gown has opened up to reveal a flimsy nightshirt, and the body delineated underneath is definitely a female one.

In his surprise, Steve loses the opportunity to fight when the soldiers surround him and the pointy tip of six sharp swords poke at his neck, leaving him with no choice but to surrender if he cares to see another day.

\-------------

_Two years later_

 

The guards stand at attention when Danny enters the room.

"Warden !" they say in unison.

The soldier who just arrived salutes, standing in front of a masked prisoner flanked by two other soldiers, and waits for Danny's signal.

"At ease, Private. What do you have for me ?"

"Orders from the King, Warden."

The letter has hardly passed to Danny's hand that the soldier salutes again and turns to leave immediately. Kids these days ! Never taking the time to live, always running around like headless chickens.

With a big sigh, Danny lets go of this more and more frequent feeling that he's getting older as life passes him by. He opens the letter and grabs at the last second the small key trying to fall. He pockets it absently as he begins to skim through the _lettre de cachet_ , before his eyes really take in the sight of the new prisoner while the two burly guards who brought him abandon their places to Danny's own men and retreat too.

The captive is tall, dark of hair, complexion full of a lifetime of sunny weather, unlike most of the vapid aristocrats his bearing seems to indicate a parentage with. Danny knows, for he's had to play host for many of those who incurred the king's wrath but still wouldn't be caught looking anything else than deathly pale, even if it means painting their faces with whitish makeup that makes them look like burlesque ghosts.

The iron mask covering two thirds of the prisoner's face cannot hide the fact that he is handsome, his lips not overly thick but beautifully drawn by nature in the midst of a thick beard. Just like his clothes, clearly borrowed from someone smaller and thinner, do not hide the strength and tension coiling in his muscles. Danny wonders what terrible crime got him to be hidden under iron, instead of the more usual velvet mask quite a few inmates wear to remain anonymous or hide their shame.

There's no immediate answer to this question but the orders Danny received make definitely more sense once you've seen the prisoner, and he goes through them again quickly to see what he can gather that the words don't truthfully express.

_"Warden Williams,_

_The prisoner hereby placed under your care is to be kept apart from any and all convicts and visitors. You will be the only one to come in his close vicinity and allowed to see his face, ensuring that no one else might have cause to. His identity and crimes will be a secret just as well guarded by you. The prisoner's name, Lord Steven J. McGarrett, is all you need to know at this moment, and the fact that, two years ago, he was found scheming against the crown. It is your duty, as an officer and a gentleman, to make sure he won't be able to put your king's life at risk ever again. To this effect, you are forbidden to mention anything about the prisoner to any enquiry, so as not to alert to his presence the ones who would try to withdraw him from the righteous consequences of the king's law. More orders might come later if need be._

_Governor Samuel Denning, of the great province of Hawaii_

Great ! Now he's got to nurse prisoners from the deep south as well as the ones from Jersey. And of course, there's no budget for this, which means he'll have to take on his own subsidies to make sure the governor's orders are enforced.

Danny sighs again. The day keeps getting better. He woke up with a fierce need to see his kids that he knows he won't be able to assuage for a while, and now this ! He'll have to remind himself that this is not the prisoner's fault and not take his frustration out on him.

"Sir, if you will follow me."

Danny thinks he reads surprise in the prisoner's eyes at being addressed courteously. He's probably been confronted with more brutality and curtness in the recent past than his upbringing used him to, but Danny's never been the kind to enforce unnecessary brute strength. The situation the prisoners find themselves in is hard enough without being a complete jackass about it, like he knows many of his colleagues in the same position in many other prisons throughout the continent tend to be. He knows he can be annoying if he puts his mind to it, but pettiness is not Danny's forte, his mother raised him better than that.

He turns around with a simple look towards Nahele and Duke who firmly but gently push the chained prisoner to follow his lead.

"Warden ?" another voice halts their departure and Danny turns to find one of the men who brought the prisoner is back.

"What it is, guard ?"

"Sorry, but these are my clothes."

"Your clothes ?" Danny repeats without understanding.

"Well, my son's clothes, to be precise. The prisoner had nothing to wear, so my captain told me to find something for him to travel and be decent."

Which explains why they don't fit the prisoner, nor would they fit the burly guard whose arms look twice the size of Danny's own thighs. Explains also why they're not appropriate in the cold December Jersian weather, no way to protect a man from the cutting wind blowing from the ocean far into the land right to Hohokus, indicating to those who haven't read the _lettre de cachet_ that the guards and their prisoner come from much warmer climates.

"Very well. Follow us to the prisoner's cell and we shall give you your clothes back. Nahele, would you agree to lend some of your own clothes until I find another solution ?"

"Of course, my lord," Nahele readily accepts, using the title he always does in front of strangers.

But he also sends a smile to the prisoner. The kid's too nice for his own good, Danny thinks for the hundredth time, although it suits him today.

"Thanks. Let's go to the cell first."

And on they go. The prisoner's feet are chained, slowing their progress, and Danny has time to study the man some more even though lighting is bad in the fort's corridors. He realizes he still hasn't heard the sound of his voice.

"Do you easily get cold ?" he asks him directly. "Nahele can give you whatever you need."

"He doesn't speak," the Hawaiian guard answers in place of McGarrett.

"Really ?"

"Yeah, never heard him in all the days we spent travelling from Haweila."

The guard seems to realize he said too much and his mouth closes around a gasp, which lends him the look of a fish out of water.

"No harm done, Private. We're all here sworn defenders of the law and your words won't leave these walls."

"Thanks, Warden ! I don't wanna lose this job."

Danny offers him a small reassuring smile, his mind taken by conjectures about the previous prison the prisoner found himself locked into. Haweila's reputation is a sinister one. Duke used to work out there, long ago, and told him all about it. Prisoners are treated poorly, like animals, and it's no surprise that McGarrett didn't have any clothes of his own. He might have walked in fully dressed but then used the garments to pay for something to eat. Unless they were simply stolen by someone, guard or prisoner looking to make a few bucks, leaving McGarrett naked in the much warmer climate of the Hawaiian province Haweila is set in.

They enter a temporary cell close to Danny's own quarters. Nahele deals with the chains, taking off the ones the prisoner came with as Duke disrobes him, and then closing new ones back on McGarrett's limbs. Danny isn't surprised either to find out that the guy looks famished once naked, ribs deeply engraved in his skin in the dancing light of the torches. Already thinking about what and how much he'll have to feed him to nurse him back to health, Danny passes the borrowed clothes and chains on to the guard who almost runs out of the cell to get back to his fellow men. The outer province guards' attitude and clear fear of prison tells Danny more about Haweila than any story could.

Danny turns back to McGarrett. Famished and shivering from the cold, but still a sight for sore eyes. Danny still appreciates the sheer beauty of the body, enough that he can't miss the gorgeous ass any more than the beautiful sex dangling between too thin thighs. In Haweila, sure thing, the guards wouldn't bat an eye at this display ; some would even probably goad McGarrett by eating in front of him and laughing at the poor guy's noisy stomach crying for food. Maybe even offering him some of their meal in exchange for sexual favors.

But here in Fort Hohokus, Danny prides himself on the respect he likes to bestow upon his prisoners. So he takes off his vest and settles it on McGarrett's shoulders while Nahele runs to go find him some clothes. Duke does the same as Danny and settles his own vest over McGarrett's groin and thighs once the prisoner is seated on the bench screwed to the wall that serves as a bed. Save for a table and a small stool, there's not much more to this cell, one of the non-descript ones used for newcomers Danny wasn't alerted beforehand about their arrival. Due to the special nature of this prisoner, Danny will have to come up with something equally special to hide him in. But in the meanwhile, this cell, with its proximity to his own quarters, will do nicely until such time he decides who is allowed to know about McGarrett beyond himself, Duke and Nahele. Despite the governor's orders, there's no way he can be the only one taking care of a man locked inside his prison.

Nahele soon comes back with a warm shirt and thick breeches. He didn't think of bringing underwear, or maybe decided against it for being too personal an item, but he didn't forget the long, thick socks that will keep McGarrett's feet happy.

Duke unchains McGarrett's ankles again so that Danny can dress him with the breeches, then he frees the prisoner's hands for the time it takes to put the new shirt on him. Immediately, McGarrett stops quivering so, as sad as it is to see such a beautiful body covered again, Danny feels like a giant for giving him this comfort at least.

"Good !" he concludes his perusal. "I'll go to the market as soon as possible to find better-fitting clothes for you, but I think you'll be good until then."

He's pretty sure that's gratitude he reads in the prisoner's eyes, even though a short nod is the only way McGarrett conveys his understanding. Satisfied, Danny then turns to his men.

"Now we need to talk about the way we're gonna handle this particular man. Governor Denning insisted on the fact that no one can know his name, not even that he is hosted here. So only a handful of us will be aware of his presence, comprised of us, Bailiff Hesse, and two of his closest men. You are not to speak about his arrival, where he comes from, or which cell he's kept in. Furthermore, I will be the only one knowing who our guest here really is, as well as the only one authorized to see his face. Understood ?"

"Yes, sir," Duke and Nahele answer at the same time.

Danny turns back to the prisoner.

"We need to find you a name to use between us. Maybe… what's your grandfather's name ?"

"Steven," McGarrett murmurs.

Shit ! he didn't think of the likely possibility for the man to have been named after a relative, and he can't go back now, lest he gives the truth away. And McGarrett knows it, Danny can see it in the glint of his eyes. But Danny's not annoyed for some reason, more surprised to realize McGarrett did talk, and this is the first time probably in a very long while.

"Very well," he acknowledges at last. "We will call you Steven."

His men nod, clearly getting that these words are akin to an order.

\-------------

As soon as Duke and Nahele are out, Danny approaches his new prisoner.

"Is there a way to take this mask off ?"

"I don't know, they put it on when I was arrested two years ago, and never took it off."

The prisoner's murmur becomes even hoarser as he recalls the last two years of his life. Danny wants to take this terrible torture tool off more than ever, afraid at the same time of what he will find underneath. Then he remembers the small key inside the _lettre de cachet_ , now secured in one of his pockets, and asks the prisoner to turn around to see if there's a lock to use it in.

Bingo ! There's a tiny hole at the back, where the two parts of the mask overlap, to insert the key in. It takes three tries before the lock engages at last, rusty with disuse, and then Danny has to ask McGarrett to brace himself and put his own whole strength to detach the parts, glued by filth he doesn't want to check too closely.

There's a domino mask under the iron one. Someone really, really didn't want anyone else to be able to see McGarrett's face. At the very least, they were not nasty enough to keep iron on potentially itching skin for months or years on end and no way to scratch. Especially in crazy hot weather. The velvet mask has to be disgustingly dirty, but it was probably kinder on McGarrett's skin than metal would have been.

Danny goes to the door and knocks. From the other side, Nahele quickly unlocks and pushes the door ajar but stays out of sight, knowing he's not allowed to look inside. Danny's proud to see he taught him so well.

"Go to my office and fetch me a domino mask, would you. One of the big ones," he gesticulates to explain his meaning, "half-face cover."

"Yes, sir."

Nahele runs off with the swiftness of his young years as Danny closes the door again.

Enough noble prisoners ask for a mask, in a futile attempt to hide their presence inside these walls, that Danny decided a long time ago to collect some to have them at the ready. This will allow him to obey his orders and get McGarrett comfortable as well as clean.

The man hasn't moved when Danny gets close again and unlaces the mask behind his head. He takes in the matted hair in need of a thorough trim and wash, surmising that McGarrett's whole body probably needs to be cleaned up just as much, but this will wait until tomorrow. Tonight is for the prisoner to settle in, get used to the men tending to him from now on, swallow a bit of broth and anything else that agrees with his belly, and then get a good, safe night of rest.

The strings tying the domino are stiff and promptly fall apart in Danny's hands, but the mask remains in place, sticking to McGarrett's skin, and Danny is extra careful not to hurt him, which decides him to wait for Nahele's return to ask for a bucket of water and a sponge. The thing will be easier to take off when it's soaked and it might also prevent the skin from itching too much.

Nahele has to be a mind reader, for he brings with him a water bucket and a towel as well as the domino mask Danny asked for.

Alone again with the prisoner, Danny gets to work, gently ungluing the dirty cloth from the tender skin around one eye, and then the other.

Once the job is done, Danny gets his first good look at McGarrett and his heart leaps in his chest. The man is nothing but gorgeous. The bushy beard cannot hide it, nor the sallow color of his poorly treated skin. Even after seeing his beautiful body entirely naked, this face is still a wonderful sight.

He keeps staring for a while, knowing he's making a fool of himself but unable to stop taking in the beauty that is Steven McGarrett.

"Is something wrong, Warden ?" his prisoner asks with an amused smile, and his very hoarse voice seems a tad louder than before.

McGarrett is probably used to the effect he has on people, at least before the king deemed it necessary to mask his face and bury him in a prison cell. Maybe that's in fact the problem that cost him his freedom ? Maybe McGarrett seduced someone he shouldn't have, someone close to the king, and tried to use it to his advantage ?

Whatever the reason, Danny decides to be upfront and show the prisoner immediately that there's nothing to gain from his attraction.

"Nothing's wrong, I simply find myself enjoying the view. It's just not often that the men who make their way to my fort could have inspired the great Leonardo da Vinci. And considering those other men haven't seen any _action_ for a long while, it's probably best for you that you'll be restricted to these quarters and no visitor allowed."

It's quite endearing to witness the faint blush taking over McGarrett's face, and his theory about seducing some girl or boy of high birth seems less likely.

"What do you say we get rid of these things ?" he suggests, taking in both the iron and velvet masks, now lying on the floor.

"Yes, please !" Steven answers, disgust and eagerness plain despite the very low level of his speech.

"I'm going to put the new mask on you while I'm gone, but I'll be back soon with some broth for you and I'll take it off again. This will have to be the rule from now on. Mask on when I'm out, mask off when I'm in."

"Okay."

"Very well. Turn around."

Just as gently as he took the old one off, Danny gets the new mask in place.

"I understand my name is a hot topic," Steven says, his back still to Danny tying the mask behind his head, "but can I know yours ?"

"Sure. I'm Chief Sergeant Major Daniel Williams, Tipstaff of the Hohokus royal prison."

"That's a mouthful ! What should I call you ?"

"Warden will do," Danny answers as he once more takes in McGarrett's masked face, adjusting the domino to cover his cheeks so that only his mouth and nostrils are left uncovered.

"Really ? What about Daniel ? After all, you call me Steven."

"Yeah, well, I'm not your prisoner, and I'm not supposed to use your name, rank or title. So warden it will be."

There's a bigger smile on McGarrett's mouth this time.

\-------------

Danny is glad to find McGarrett still sleeping as he comes by the next morning, bringing tea and a small piece of jam-covered bread, nothing too big to upset his stomach. Sadly, he can't let him sleep longer, because he has a job to do, and while part of it has to do with this man, a lot more takes place outside of this room and also requires his full attention.

"McGarrett," he says softly as he shakes a bit on his shoulder.

The prisoner's eyes open immediately, alert and ready. Tension is back in the slim frame, speaking volumes about the kind of encounters he made in his previous _residence_ , but it gets better as soon as McGarrett recognizes him.

"Turn your head around, I'll take the mask off."

McGarrett obeys and then settles his head back on the pillow as soon as he's freed. Once again, Danny is hit full force by the man's sheer beauty and he grapples for something to take his attention off of it, which is sadly all too easy to find. Steven's eyes look bruised, whether it's because of a deep need for more sleep or the skin reacting to being out of hiding after such a long time.

"I brought you breakfast," he finally announces to diffuse his own tension, "and then we'll take care of getting you all cleaned up. I promise, no funny business, just a thorough wash up, because let me tell you, my friend, I don't have to look at you to know you need it. You smell like the garbage corner after it's been rotting in the sun for a few days."

McGarrett looks offended.

"No, I do not !"

If Danny hoped his voice would be better come morning, he's disappointed but tries not to let it show.

"Yes, yes, you do. Nahele's bringing hot water in a few minutes, so get going."

The prisoner sits down and then stands up with a few winces indicating he's stiffened up during the night, but he walks to the table without limping and sits down on the stool to grip the bowl of tea he drinks up in a few gulps. He hesitates in front of the toast, though.

"Is breakfast to your liking ?" Danny asks.

"Sure, thanks."

"Don't tell me what you think I want to hear. You won't hurt my pride by telling me you prefer something else."

He sees McGarrett hesitating some more and encourages him again with a pointed look.

"Is there any way to get butter ?"

Danny's happy for the honest answer.

"No problem, buttered toast it will be tomorrow."

"Actually," McGarrett winces again, but it's more out of worry than pain this time, "the butter would be for the tea."

"Man, that's disgusting !"

Danny can see the immediate effect of his spontaneous reaction in the way the prisoner seems to shrink, head falling down and shoulders going up, as if ready to get hit, and he berates himself for his outburst.

"Sorry," McGarrett is groveling, "I didn't want to ask for too much…"

Maybe humor can get them out of this crisis, and Danny makes sure to speak gently this time.

"No, that's okay, Steven, I was the one asking. I just happen to question your taste, and maybe your sanity."

Humor definitely worked, and McGarrett looks at him with half-feigned outrage.

"I'll have you know that butter in your morning beverage is a boost of energy like no other. You should try it."

"Thanks, but no thanks. It's one thing to indulge your disgusting habits, and quite another to share them. I'll stick to my jammed toast, thank you very much."

But he'll make sure McGarrett gets his buttered tea tomorrow. And maybe someday soon, something more filling, that will stick to his ribs, meat and vegetables he's probably unable to digest at this moment.

He leaves the prisoner to his breakfast when Nahele knocks on the door to inform him the water's here. He and Duke brought six buckets as well as towels and washcloths. They've had their fair share of dirty prisoners to wash clean after the guys were left to rot in city prisons before their trials, and they always come prepared. Usually, they work at least in tandem, one washing, the other rinsing, and if a third guard is there it means the prisoner is a dangerous one they have to keep a close eye on and be ready to subdue.

Of course, they could just leave the prisoners to their filth, but that would be encouraging epidemics that run rampant in other prisons, and Danny hasn't survived battlefields to get killed by a simple illness he could have avoided with a few sanitary measures.

In McGarrett's case, Danny is not inclined to get him naked again in front of an audience, as sympathetic as Nahele and Duke might be. He's supposed to be the only one coming close, and he will respect this order as much as possible, beginning today, by washing him alone. But it means that McGarrett has to be restrained more than he is right now, and it will probably bring bad memories.

Once the water buckets are safely brought to the small adjoining room that has facilities in the form of another bucket and a hole in the ground to allow for runoff of liquids of all kinds, Danny checks the chains hanging from the cellar and then goes back to McGarrett.

"Okay," he says, "now comes the hard part when I have to disrobe you. We're going inside the restroom where I'll tie you up. Once again, I promise no funny business. We're going in here to clean you up. I will use washcloths and I will not try to feel you up or take any advantage, sexual or otherwise, through this situation. I also want you to know that I'm not doing this to humiliate you, but to ensure that you will be comfortable and in good health. Are we clear ?"

McGarrett is back to non-verbal answer, a simple nod to show Danny he heard him.

"Very well. Please stand up and follow me to the restroom."

Danny closes the door back on them as soon as McGarrett is in. The hot water's steam has the tiny room warmer than the cell, which makes it better for McGarrett to stand naked without getting too cold.

He's still quivering anyway as Danny bares his body more and more, not to mention when Danny takes his own jacket off to avoid getting it dirty, and it's completely apparent with his wrists tied high above his head and his ankles spread apart. He's so beautiful in his nakedness, Danny is pretty sure that other guards without morals might have taken what McGarrett couldn't refuse them in such a position, and the memory has to be overwhelming. He has to find some way to get his prisoner out of those terrible thoughts.

But then even for him the task is difficult. There are lashing marks upon McGarrett's back, faint and regular enough that you might think it's nothing but his particular skin tone as long as you don't look too closely. Danny winces as he realizes what those marks really are. They draw yet another picture of the life McGarrett endured in Haweila, one he wants his prisoner to put behind if not forget altogether. Or talk about with a friend who will commiserate.

"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I will listen. And I will forget afterwards, if that's what you need. Any way you need it. But know that you're free to talk, anytime you're with me."

He gets no answer, but the offer has been made and McGarrett knows the possibility is here if he ever desires to use it.

"Am I hurting you ?" he asks as he begins gently scrubbing McGarrett's back with his right hand gloved with a washcloth.

"No," the prisoner answers curtly, which might be seen as an improvement even though the tension he showed upon wakening is back in his whole frame.

Danny gets why McGarrett can't take him at face value after the last two years, and why only after the bath is over and his clothes back on him will he become calm again. So he goes to work, dwelling inside his own mind on the day's tasks awaiting outside of this cell to make sure he won't get aroused by the sight and feeling of the man's naked flesh. Especially when he gets to his ass, explaining to McGarrett what he's about to do before he gets there, and he's glad he did because even then the prisoner responds without thinking to the hand sliding between his cheeks, trying to escape forward. Danny shushes him like a frightened colt and keeps working. Thanks to all his years as a warden, he knows this is the part of the anatomy the prisoners never linger on as much as they should, and it's worse when, like McGarrett, they were probably assaulted and never tended to afterwards.

Danny throws the soiled washcloth out of their sight when he's done, reaching for the chain linked to the first bucket attached above the prisoner's head. He warns McGarrett to close his eyes before he pours hot water over him for a first rinse.

He goes for the legs after that, giving McGarrett time to regroup before he has to face him for another difficult part. His feet are beyond dirty, forcing him to use another washcloth on the simple task of getting his toes and the space between them clean again. Another glove that ends up in the same corner of oblivion.

On second thought, he decides to take care of McGarrett's hair before the rest of his body. He brought the special ointment his mother's used on all her children to get rid of lice, because there's no way McGarrett isn't infested with them. He makes sure both the long hair and bushy beard, as well as the hair at his armpits and down around his genitals, are slathered with it, letting it sit for a while before he uses soap to wash it all away, grime and vermin combined. He'll probably have to do this for a few days to ensure the lice don't stick. He takes note to bring a comb next time.

"Are you guys all this tall in Hawaii ?" he asks when his arms begin to ache from being up for so long working on McGarrett's head.

"I don't know. Are you all this short in Jersey ?" the prisoner bites back in return.

"You're hilarious, McGarrett."

He keeps working on the hair, massaging the prisoner's skull in what he hopes to be a soothing move.

"Next thing we'll have to do is shave you and cut your hair a little. But let's keep a bit of fun for another day, okay ?"

No answer, so he prolongs the massage for a little while, and rinses McGarrett once more when he's satisfied with his work on his head.

Then comes the part where he has to stand in front of his prisoner and wash his chest and genitals. For once, his short stature is a gift as it allows him to ignore the eyes he feels tracking his every move and focus on his task.

McGarrett's nipples are peaking but Danny doesn't delude himself thinking the man is aroused in any way. He gives the chest the same thorough attention to detail he used everywhere else, making the buds red and tauter than they already were, but he does the same with his flanks and hard abdominals. More than once, he can see, out of the corner of his eyes, McGarrett wincing as if Danny's pushed a little too hard against a tender rib or a faint bruise, and he hesitates between scrubbing more gently, which also means going at it longer, or getting it done quickly and to hell with a little bit of pain McGarrett's obviously used to.

McGarrett decides for him when he lets out a small, unwitting moan as Danny rubs over a rib that still feels tender and close to giving in. Danny makes another note to get a bandage for McGarrett to wear, at night at the very least, to help with further healing.

He's been dreading the moment he'd have to take in his hands the man's genitals, and the concern over his ribs has been a good delaying tactic, but he can feel McGarrett becoming more and more nervous and knows he has to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. Once again, he thinks prudent to warn the prisoner.

"I'm going to clean your cock and balls now. Remember, no funny business."

Yeah, tell it to the Marines ! McGarrett clearly doesn't believe him and it shows once Danny engulfs the big shaft in one gloved hand to scrub it. He hears the chain holding McGarrett clanging when he pushes the foreskin back with his other hand to clean the whole area meticulously. He doesn't dwell there for long, preferring to abandon the cock to go give a thorough rub to the heavy balls and perineum. He certainly doesn't comment when he realizes McGarrett is almost hard despite his obvious distress, because he sure feels bad for the guy who certainly doesn't want to deal with his body's automatic response to the intimate touch.

"Good !" he finally says. "We're done. Close your eyes again, so I can rinse you one last time."

Danny uses what's left of the three last buckets. The water has cooled down a bit, but Danny can tell it's still a pleasure for McGarrett to feel it sliding around his body so he takes his time, happy to end this tough moment with a nicer one. He himself might be convinced he did all this for the prisoner's benefit, but he knows that's not the way McGarrett saw it.

He takes his time toweling McGarrett dry. He wishes he had more clothes for him, wondering if the vermin he chased from the body will be back as soon as he will be dressed again, but there's nothing he can do about it right now, and McGarrett is getting goosebumps again from the cold. He covers him quickly, sheathing his socked feet into light clogs filled with fresh straw, because he couldn't find good enough shoes in the prisoner's size and that's another thing he will have to buy for him at the market.

Finally, McGarrett is back on his bench bed. After letting Danny handle him without a word, he raises his head and looks straight at Danny's eyes.

"So you're not going to fuck me ?"

"You're very handsome and attractive, McGarrett, but I enjoy my partners willing and responsive, not fighting against me. So no, I'm not going to fuck you."

"Then why didn't you let me wash myself ?"

Danny feels himself closing down at this question and he has to physically force the answer. These are memories he still can't deal very well with.

"In the first month after I got here, five prisoners attempted suicide – two succeeded – and three tried to make a run for freedom – one got killed, the other two got a life sentence out of it. It was all because, in my infinite wisdom, I had decided to let them bathe unsupervised. They got creative, blocking their airways with the soap bar or using towels as a hook to hang themselves, and don't ask me why towels look like a better solution than their own pants, for example, because I've got no idea… The ones who tried to escape used a splinter from the bucket as a shiv to threaten the guards. I realize it had a lot to do with the previous administration of the prison, the way the prisoners were treated, and the oldest guards who had troubles getting used to my orders, Bailiff Hesse being pissed he was overlooked for the promotion in my favor and taking it out on the prisoners… ; the desperation that impregnated these walls was suffocating, but I promised myself I wouldn't lose another prisoner like that."

"So what, you wash every prisoner, every day ?"

"Not quite. I'm not alone here, for starters. The guards I trust are allowed to help in this endeavor. But most of all, we assess the prisoners' morale and their dangerousness, to themselves and to others. Those who are deemed reliable are allowed to bathe alone, under distant supervision. Those who are not, be it for a short period of time or forever, get help from the guards."

Danny can see he's given McGarrett a lot to think about, an inkling about how it feels to be on the other side of this fence. Maybe someday he will be able to trust this prisoner with washing on his own, too.

"There," he says as he stands up after putting the last touch to McGarrett's clothes. "You're all set. Don't you feel better, all clean and warm ?"

"Sure," McGarrett answers gruffly, as if he doesn't want to admit Danny might be right, but his body's betraying him as all stiffness is gone once more.

Danny lets him see with a small smirk that he can't hide the truth and then decides to get onto another topic that's been bothering him.

"We need to do something about your voice. You need to talk to me, to reacquaint yourself with speech, so go on, tell me something, anything. What would you like to tell me ?"

Steven considers him as if he's grown a second head.

"Nothing ?"

"Really ? Nothing, Steven ?"

"I can't think of anything in particular. Not like that, in the blink of an eye. I need at least a topic to broach."

"Okay. well, I don't know, tell me about... Hawaii, for example. Is it a nice place ? Would I like it there ?"

"Not in your fancy uniform, no, you wouldn't," McGarrett smirks.

Danny looks down at himself and finds nothing to criticize about his white attire. It makes him look quite dashing, if he might say so himself.

"What ?! Do you mean to tell me that my uniform isn't beautiful ?"

"Oh yeah, it is, and you are, but you wouldn't last long in our heat. There's a reason why this weather makes tough men out of us."

"You know what, McGarrett ? I'm sure you ain't right there. Our weather, which can have high highs and low lows, makes us pretty tough, too."

"Yeah ? Well, I'll know it when I see it, I guess."

And just like that they're doing it, talking endlessly, pleasantly. There's a lot of bantering, some bickering, but not only. They talk as if they were friends, and they both enjoy it. It feels natural and easy, and Steven's voice gets a tiny bit better, even though it tires quickly.

They keep at it in the next days, Danny visiting Steven as much as he can manage to make sure the man won't stop exercising his voice. McGarrett loves to talk about Hawaii, and it’s not just nostalgia speaking. It connects him back with his family, his friends, everything and everyone he lost by being arrested and thrown in a jail, in solitary, a man with no name and no past. No future either, probably.

Danny gives it all back to him by listening to the rough voice so evocative that he feels he can imagine Hawaii already, and even longs to know it at times. Wishes he had known McGarrett there, in his element, before the bad treatment, without the mistrust.

\-------------

"No offense, Warden, but that’s not your size."

Danny smiles benignly as he keeps examining the underwear. He's known the salesman for quite a few years now, visiting his stall at the market every so often, and there's not a bad bone in his huge body.

"You’re right, Jerry. And I’m still wearing the great stuff you sold me some time ago. But I’m here today for one of my inmates who’s gonna have to go bare-assed if you don’t find me some equally good stuff for him."

Danny sees the pride on the man’s face and he’s sure McGarrett’s going to get the sturdiest clothes to last him a lifetime. Something that will keep him from the cold in winter.

"How many does he need ? Because I have just the one here, but I could have more done by the next time I come around."

"That would be great, yes. Maybe… five more, so that he can change easily. We'll see for something lighter when summer comes around. And I'll need shirts too, as well as breeches and tights. Socks and shoes, too."

"You weren't kidding when you said he would go bare-assed !" Jerry laughs. "For shoes or boots, I recommend you go see my friend Allen. Tell him I sent you, he'll have a good price for you."

"Thanks, Jerry. Now here's the prisoner's measurements. I didn't have any way to take them other than to trace the contours of his body with a chalk on bigger clothes that I'll have to bring back to their owner at some point."

"Is your inmate a giant, Warden ?" Jerry asks, Danny holding the clothes up, well above his own head, for the tailor to check them.

"Compared to me, he certainly is. But please, allow for a bit of leeway when you cut the shirt, I plan to get him back to a non-malnourished state soon."

"Sure, I can do that," and there's a gentleness in his voice that tells Danny the guy is as much of a soft touch as he himself is.

He goes looking for his coin purse when his eyes fall on an assemblage of scarves, among which one seems to be calling out to him. The wool is dyed green, the whole thing thick and long, and it will do wonders for McGarrett’s throat. Not to mention it will probably match quite pleasantly the tone of his skin.

Wondering about this last thought, Danny quickly puts such considerations aside and pays Jerry for his purchases before he resumes walking through the stalls, in search of food this time.

"Hey, Warden," the old Maggie calls him. "I’ve got stuff for you. Look at those perfect cabbages !"

Indeed, green and white seem to run out of the woman’s small stall and he knows they have a deal. He’s going to make a thick creamy soup, something that will pass easily through McGarrett’s throat and stomach and warm him down to his bones.

"I'll send the kid to get them, as usual," he says as he pays the old Maggie.

There are always a few kids waiting for his orders when he comes to the market. They know he will hire them to fetch his things and bring them to the prison, earning themselves a few coins that will go into their families' budgets for the week. He's pretty sure that, sometimes, his help is the only thing keeping them out of complete destitution and he's made a point of getting help even when he would very much be able to bring it all back home on his own. And he never forgets to give them an apple or a tomato, a peach or some strawberries, depending on the season, to make sure they eat something on this day. He cannot fight the poverty of the world at large, but he can certainly do something on a smaller scale.

\-------------

Steve's mind is in a whirlwind of surprises. From the moment his new warden unbuttoned his vest to put on his shoulders and shield him from the cold, instead of disrobing to fuck Steve, just as he feared watching him taking his clothes off – to show him right upon arrival the rules of the land – Steve's been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

But it's been a few days already, and Williams has shown him only kindness.

Even when Steve pushes to get a feel for the warden's limits, for example calling him Daniel every chance he gets when they're alone, Williams doesn't try to hurt him. He tells him to stop and explains why in many words – Steve's never known someone able to talk so much, it's pretty incredible how long he can discourse on a simple topic – but never uses anything else than words to make his point. As for his hands, they seem to be made for talking, not for hitting.

Gone are the days when a single wrong word from him could mean a bad beating, a nasty flogging, or even a disgusting cock in his mouth. There's a reason why Steve stopped talking altogether.

Here, Williams shows him concern, not only for his health, but also for his morale.

"Do you need to hear mass ?" the warden asks one Sunday morning. "I'm sorry I didn't think about it earlier. I can't let you go to the chapel, nor can I let the prison chaplain in, but I can take you in a cell next to the room where he officiates so that you'll be able to hear him."

"That's nice of you to care about my immortal soul, but I guess for most people in this world I'm beyond saving."

"Does your soul really need saving ? At this point of our acquaintance, I find myself wondering."

Steve can't exactly explain the emotion going through him at these words. It's been so long since someone took a look at him and didn't immediately think Steve was nothing but a criminal who would never be able to redeem himself, which for his former guards excused and justified all the abuses. Williams is such a different man and Steve has a hard time adjusting to the care and respect he's been shown these last few days.

"I guess time will tell, and St Peter the day I'll show up to cross the gates of heaven. If he takes recommendation from your colleagues back in Haweila, I surely won't pass muster."

"But what about your family and friends before Haweila ? Would your parents say you were a good son ? Would your friends testify that you were there for them in times of need ?"

"I… I like to think so," Steve answers, and this damn emotion is there again, making his voice almost as hoarse as it was when he arrived in Hohokus.

"Then there you go. I don't know how much my recommendation would weigh, but you've been a model prisoner ever since you showed up here and I guess it counts for something. All in all, I'm not too worried for your immortal soul, Steven. In fact, I'm more worried for your health at the moment."

Steve sends him an inquiring look but Williams goes to the door and knocks, leaving the room without any other words. He's back in a few minutes, holding a tray that he places on the bench.

"Ready for solid food, McGarrett ? Time to put some meat back on those bones, methinks."

"What is that ?" Steve can't help asking, entranced by the delicious aroma.

"The famous Mahwah stew. Prepare to be dazed !"

Steve eyes the tray with interest, but he's not sure his stomach has settled enough yet to go for such a rich meal.

"Believe me," the warden says with sympathy in his voice, "you're good enough to try for a bit of it."

Steve manages to stop ogling the pot and looks at the other man.

"Every time we talk about food, I get this feeling that you know the effects of starvation far better than you should."

Williams' face closes and Steve thinks he won't get an answer. The man takes a ladle on the tray and goes fishing for what has to be meat morsels in thick sauce that he deposits carefully onto a plate.

"Please, sit," he invites Steve as he settles the plate on his tiny table.

Steve obeys, surprised to see that Williams doesn't leave immediately for some other task that will allow him to ignore Steve's question, but instead takes a seat on the bed. Steve has his back to him, and maybe that's what allows the warden to speak freely.

"I was born into a very poor family, and sometimes, when my father couldn't find work to do, we had to go without food for days on end. We had this migrant neighbor back then, he said they had an expression in his native language which translated into "long as a day without bread," and I get it, you know, because there are no days as long and terrible as the ones when your belly keeps crying for food and you feel like you can hear nothing else but that gurgling noise, even when it stops."

Steve looks at his plate and he decides to take a spoonful, make sure this food won't go to waste. The taste is just as heavenly as the scent, and he feels the tiny bit of meat go down his throat with pleasure, the warmth entering his body, radiating inside to give him some of his power back.

"Then I enlisted in the king's army and everything was good for a while. Three meals a day, nothing very good but at last I felt satiated. Up until the day I found myself stuck at Fort Mahe under siege."

"My God !" Steve exclaims even if his voice breaks down mid-word, turning towards the warden as he resumes chewing on the second mouthful.

Williams is looking at his feet, hands clasped together.

"I'm pretty sure I only survived because my stomach already knew how to live on nothing."

"I heard there were maybe ten survivors out of six hundred people."

"You heard right. I was one of the ten men and one woman still alive after three months of siege."

"You're a tough son of a bitch, aren't you, Williams ?"

The warden looks back up and smiles at last. Steven feels like a man again for taking him out of his morose memories, and it's a feeling he thought he had forever lost.

"You better believe it, McGarrett ! My mama would spank you for using such a bad word, but yeah, that I am. So, how's the stew going down ?"

Steve waits for the third mouthful to slide gently down before he answers.

\-------------

It takes only a few weeks for Steve to feel revived. Human again, and this wondrous feeling is due to one man, Warden Williams.

The guy is in a position where he could do absolutely anything to him, be a jerk like pretty much all the guards Steve had to endure in the two previous years, those men chosen on purpose to make his life hell and ensure he would never get a chance to talk about what he knows. Never killing him but making sure he wished they did.

For some reason he still doesn’t get, his location changed one day, without any warning. He was sent as far away from Hawaii as possible, but also to maybe the only decent warden in the country.

The man went as far as taking care of his voice, for God's sake ! He's helped him talk again by making conversation at least three times a day. He's given him warm, fitting clothes, not to mention a thick scarf to roll around his neck after Steve promised on his honor that there would be no attempt on his own life. He offered him some tooth powder – "made by my mother, Steven, not some awful, common soap, something special that gives all us Williamses strong, good white teeth, and you should feel so lucky that I include you now in the family and share our secret" – which brought back bittersweet memories of his own mother before she disappeared one day. The warden's also fed him all kinds of sweet food to tempt his appetite and sweeten his sore throat, which is still rough most of the time, but definitely getting better, and that's all thanks to the special decoctions and tasty broths Williams had prepared for him.

Curiosity is killing him as to why this Governor Denning Steve's never heard about before gave the order to send him here, but Williams isn't speaking. As much as he is a decent man, Williams is also a decent officer of the law. The two guards who are aware of his existence have said so multiple times. They respect the warden and will never betray his trust, that's their common answer every time Steve has tried to question them.

They gladly talk about themselves, and about Hawaii, since it's clear – and surprising, but that's another topic – that they were both born in the same province as Steve. He's pretty sure they've gathered as much since Steve never bothered to hide any of the local expressions or the random pidgin word he tends to use when they talk. Sergeant Lukela at the very least has. He's not so sure about Ensign Huikala anymore, not after learning that the kid was born in prison, the son of a wicked man Lukela himself later brought to Hohokus.

"My mom was the daughter of a guard down in Haweila," the young guard explains one day while the warden has been called somewhere else and his trusted guard has taken care of Steve's meal, "and my father seduced her. Duke says it was more of a rape, but she was shunned out of the family for bearing me. So I was born in the prison, and raised behind its walls after my mom died in childbirth. The day Duke was tasked with bringing my father up here to Jersey, he offered to bring me as well. I'm not sure I would have followed my father if it was not for Duke who had always protected me as much as he could in Haweila."

"But what about your father ?" Steve asks, seeing a surprising common pattern with his own fate. "Why was he brought here ?"

"Order from Governor Jameson, but I'm not sure exactly why. My father had sent him a few letters before – that Duke had written for him, it was part of his remit – but he said there was nothing there to explain why the governor would have him sent so far away."

Steve is pretty sure Nahele's father somehow came to the conclusion that the governor was not who _he_ was passing for. That Huikala senior tried to use this knowledge to be granted freedom, and that instead he found himself sent away, probably under threat of a more definitive solution if he ever spoke of his beliefs.

"Was he masked like me ?" he wonders aloud.

"No, why would he have been ?"

"Yes, why ?"

So even if Nahele's father ever uncovered Jameson's secret, Steve has to have another enemy, someone probably placed even higher in the food chain, to make him such a dirty little secret. He has to know something, unconsciously because he can't fathom what, that's potentially dangerous to the province, maybe even the country, to explain why he's been all but buried inside the worst prison ever for the two most terrible years of his life.

"Is your father still alive ?" he asks, hoping for an opportunity to question the man.

"Nah, he passed away not long after his transfer here. He pissed off the wrong guy and got shanked."

"So how come you're still here ? And Duke ?"

Nahele smiles for the first time since the beginning of his painful life story.

"Warden Williams had just been appointed, in place of the former Tipstaff who was rumored to be a real son of a bitch. I was just a ten-year-old boy back then. Danny took me under his wing and he accepted Duke's application, who didn't want to go back to Haweila after seeing the way things were run here. Danny changed our lives for the better. My old man had always refused that Duke teach me how to write and count, but Danny, he didn't care, and he took it upon himself to do so, then he offered me a job with him when I was old enough, and I never looked back. Even now, he's paying for my studies so I can one day manage a higher rank. Danno's the best man ever, Steven !"

"Danno ?"

Nahele looks taken aback by Steve's question.

"I shouldn't have said that, I guess. Please forget it."

"Tell me what it means, and I might decide to forget."

"Danno's the name his little girl created for him when she couldn't pronounce the word Daddy. I guess that's also partly coming from his nickname, Danny, which his wife used to call him."

"Used to ?"

"She died a few years ago, but that's all I will tell you, so please don't ask for more."

"Okay. So Danno – Warden Williams – has a daughter, and his wife is dead. Which begs the question ? Who's taking care of his child while he's here ?"

"Danny has two children, a girl and a boy, and he loves them more than I've ever seen another man care for his children," Nahele corrects him with a wistful tone. "He never wanted them to grow up in a prison, so he hired a woman to take care of them close to the rest of his family and he visits them as often as he can. You'll see it soon enough, when Bailiff Hesse and his men take us over to take care of _you_."

"Bailiff Hesse ?"

"He's kind of Warden Williams' second in command. His duties are various and sundry, mainly in constant contact with the court of law, responsible for the transport of prisoners and their belongings, but he gets full command of the prison every time the warden takes days off. Which means he'll visit you on the next shift. I'll look the roster up if you want to know exactly when, it's about a week every two months."

"You say he's got his own men ? You won't be there either ?"

"No, Duke and I, we get days off at the same time as Danny. He often invites us at his home and we travel together, so that we can have real time off and go to the city. Duke can see his wife – she lives in Newark, close to the Williamses – and I can meet the ladies."

Steve ignores Nahele's naughty smile, suddenly wary of the changes this bailiff might bring to his imprisonment.

"What kind of man is the bailiff ?"

Nahele's grimace doesn't bode well.

"To be fair, I don't know him very well. He tends to keep to himself and his men. One of your guards will probably be his own brother, Anton. The man is an airhead, but he's gained a pretty title too. He's the vidame of the Newark's bishop, and don't ask me why he prefers to live with his brother between prison and court of law rather than living off the bishop's munificence, because I've got no damn clue !"

For no good reason, Steve's pretty sure. Perhaps the bishop is a bit punctilious about his men's doings, and staying in a prison with his brother ensures that he won't come and take too close a look at Anton's life.

He's got a bad feeling about this, already dreading the time when Williams and his men will go home and leave him behind.

So he decides to bring it up.

\-------------

"Nahele told me he'll be going home sooner or later, and you too."

Danny looks up from drying Steven's chest to try and read his expression. He's generally not that hard to read, not to Danny at least, but this topic seems loaded with danger.

"Right," he says noncommittally. "I'll be visiting my family. I do it about every two months. My reward for a job well done."

Steven doesn't let anything show except for biting his lip, so Danny resumes his task, drying Steven's legs and then his feet, before he gets to the dressing him again.

"Nahele also said that a bailiff will hold down the fort in your place," Steven finally continues.

"Yeah, Bailiff Hesse, my second in command. What about him ?"

This gets Steven to look him straight in the eyes.

"Is he a good man too ? Do I need to worry about him ?"

Danny feels a coldness enter his limbs and he really doesn't know how to answer that.

"Good man is not the way I'd describe Hesse, nor his men for that matter. But he will know about the governor's orders, and I won't leave without very strict orders of my own about the way to take care of you."

He's not sure that’s enough to reassure someone who's been through the wringer in his previous prison and came here looking like death warmed over.

"I'll also make sure that he understands the cost it will bring to his career if he harms you in any way, okay ?" he adds for good measure.

Steven nods, letting Danny finish dressing him, save for the mask, before they go back to the main room. Danny's not sure what to do now, or what to say, but Steven decides for him when he lightly pats the bed to indicate Danny should sit beside him. Which Danny does and then waits for his prisoner's next question.

"You know how I made it ?" Steven seemingly changes the topic. "How I survived everything that was done to me ? By thinking that if it was done to me, it meant it wasn't done to anyone else I care about."

The man is so resilient, Danny thinks, that it's a bit scary, almost inhuman. And Danny’s sure of one thing : McGarrett wasn’t arrested for murder, or not even a petty crime. Steven cares too much. Of course, he could be spinning a pretty story, but Danny prides himself for being quite a good judge of character and he’s sure Steven isn’t trying to make himself look good when he says better me suffering than anyone else.

"Then I guess it's good someone's caring for you for once, and not the other way around," he answers.

Steve's eyes seek his again and his hand grips Danny's.

"You know that, should our positions be reversed, I’d do the same for you. You know it, don’t you ?"

Danny looks at Steven and yes, he knows it. Every little thing he's learned about Steven from their discussions tells him he's a caring man, one who'd put his life in danger for anyone, and evidently so for the people he loves or… cares about, and Danny guesses he can count himself in this category. He's earned that place, and he hopes to keep it for a long time.

So he squeezes Steven's hand back and smiles.

"I know, Steven. I know."

They look at each other for quite a long minute, hands still entwined. They're having the clearest conversation Danny's ever had with someone without using any word, and it might have gone for longer if a knock at the door hadn't put an end to it.

Danny feels cold again as he takes his hand off Steven's and stands up to answer the knock. He opens the door, holding it ajar, to find Duke on the other side, positioned so he can't see inside the cell.

"Sorry to disturb, my lord, but you have a visitor."

Danny's surprise is not feigned. Prisoners come and go, bringing their families with them on parlor days, but unannounced visitors asking to see him are rare. No one in a sane mind comes to visit the warden of a prison if they can avoid it.

"Anyone important ?"

"I guess so. He says he's Governor Denning's envoy."

Danny turns to McGarrett.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Steven ?"

The prisoner shoots him an incredulous look, raising his chained wrists.

"I've been here all the time, and you saw me every day. How could I have done anything wrong ?!"

Danny keeps staring at him, as if willing Steven to confess, but McGarrett really has nothing to tell and Danny wants to believe him.

"Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Put your mask back on, I'll go and see what it's all about."

"Will you come back ?"

"Sure. I'll be by later with your dinner."

Before he leaves, he waits for Steven to don his mask again, loose chains at his wrist clicking as he puts the velvet domino over his eyes and cheeks. It's weird how much he likes seeing Steven like that. It's never a hardship watching his handsome face, but the domino adds a touch of mystery that affects Danny more than it should.

He finds his visitor already waiting for him in his office, a guard standing by the door to keep an eye on him. Danny sends the guard out, who closes the office door on them, and offers his hand to the young man who came from so far away to visit him, taking in his pleasant looks, good-looking face of obvious Asian descent and expensive attire.

"Lord Williams, thanks for seeing me so quickly," the man says as he shakes Danny's hand.

"You’re welcome, my lord. How can I be of service to you ?"

"I am Adam Noshimuri, Governor Denning's deputy. Lord Denning sent me to apprise you about your special prisoner’s situation."

"I’ll be glad to hear more about him and the reasons why he was arrested in the first place."

"Has he been cause for troubles since he was transferred ?"

"Not at all. On the contrary, I wish all my _guests_ were such reliable and respectful gentlemen. I certainly don’t understand why he was treated so poorly down in Haweila. So criminally, I could say."

"These circumstances explain McGarrett's transfer, as well as my presence here today."

"Okay. I'm sorry, my lord, I'm forgetting my manners. Please take a seat. Would you like a refreshment ?"

"That would be nice, thank you."

While Danny busies himself serving a drink, Noshimuri sits down on the opposite side of Danny's desk and begins to explain the reasons for his visit.

"As you may be aware or not, Lord Denning has been appointed Governor of Hawaii only recently. The previous governor was in charge for about two years and left quite a mess behind him. Now Lord Denning has been working hard to get things back on track, particularly when it comes to law and order, and especially Haweila, but in the meanwhile, he thought it prudent to send the prisoner to you to make sure he wouldn't be targeted more than ever by corrupt men inside the prison, as a symbol of the fight against the new province's leadership."

Noshimuri accepts the refreshment offered by Danny and takes a long sip before he continues.

"So I'm here today to tell you about the governor's wish that you take really good care of the prisoner, so that he'll be able to bring him to the king whenever his majesty asks for him."

"Please, assure the governor that prisoners here in Hohokus are not abused, and that there will be no ill treatment visited upon McGarrett as long as I'm in charge."

"I'll be happy to report this good news."

"But I'm curious about why the king could possibly want to see McGarrett after more than two years buried deep inside a faraway jail."

Noshimuri puts his glass down on Danny's desk before he looks him straight in the eyes.

"Has McGarrett confided in you about the crime that led him to prison ?"

"I'm not in the habit of questioning my prisoners about the reason why they were arrested. This way lies madness, my lord, for no inmate is ever going to tell you he was rightly sentenced. I'd prefer to hear it from you."

"Fair enough. McGarrett was arrested for the murder of Governor Patrick Jameson."

Danny can't help his double take.

"What ?!"

He has no doubt Steven, in possession of his full strength, would be physically able to kill someone with his bare hands if he had to defend his own life or someone else's. But he draws a blank when it comes to imagining him bringing harm to someone who didn't attack first or caused harm around him. And he remembers hearing about the governor's passing, but he didn't know much about the case, or the man himself, for something that happened far away never made the local gossip. All of which explain his next question.

"Was Governor Jameson a bad man ?"

"Not that I know of. Why would you ask that ?"

"Because I'm generally a good judge of character, and to be honest with you, I just can't imagine McGarrett killing someone in cold blood. If he really did kill the governor, there might have been extreme circumstances explaining why he did it."

"Your talent is lost in this prison, you should be out there working with the police," Lord Noshimuri smiles, somehow friendlier than before, or more honestly so.

"Thank you, my lord, I…"

"Please, call me Adam. From everything I heard about you, we both had the same will to get over our condition, and we both made it above the status our birth should have condemned us to. I feel we can forget the titles and speak freely."

"Very well, Adam, if it means getting the whole truth about McGarrett's past, in which case, please, call me Daniel."

Now that he's established he's not completely clueless about the deputy's compliments and the artifices of politics, Danny relaxes in his chair and lets the other man answer his query. But what comes next is really baffling.

"Have you ever heard about Jupiter ?" Adam asks.

"The ancient god ?"

Adam laughs in a spontaneous way that Danny approves of.

"I didn’t think of that one. You’re right, of course, Jupiter the god could be an answer. But no, that's not the one I'm talking about. I mean Jupiter the rebel."

"One with delusions of grandeur, I take it ? Can’t say I’ve heard of him."

"For what it’s worth, I don’t think he chose his own nickname."

"How does this apply to our previous conversation ?" Danny insists, unwilling to get sidetracked.

"Do you know McGarrett’s full name ?"

Danny recalls the governor’s letter.

"Steven J. McGarrett. Now wait. Are you telling me that the J stands for Jupiter ?"

"Not exactly. But McGarrett’s father had him believing it did for a few years, back when he was a small, gullible child. Some kind of family joke, you know, which took on a life of its own, and the nickname endured despite young Steven’s attempts to eradicate it. It was infused with a whole new meaning once McGarrett decided to take on a local lordling who had all but enslaved the peasants of his county."

"Did the governor know back then about this uprising and who led it ?"

"It's unclear. Governor Jameson liked to play it close to the vest and those who were closer to him have strangely disappeared in the weeks after Steve killed him."

"Are you inferring that McGarrett had them killed too ?"

"Also unclear, but the next governor, Wo Fat, strongly believed in it. He advised the king to make sure it wouldn't happen again, and that's part of the reason why McGarrett was taken to Haweila, locked away from the other inmates, with only a few guards to "tend" to him."

"Only part of it ?"

"It seems the order had already been enforced before the king sanctioned it. Even before those other men disappeared."

"Was there a true investigation about the… – what, disappearance ? Death ? – of Jameson's collaborators ? Or was it all about this new governor's belief ?"

With all the _lettres de cachet_ he receives from the Jersian governor, Danny knows it's sadly all too frequent a possibility for a prisoner to never get a fair trial, especially when the crown is embarrassed about something and wants to hide some dirty little secret. He remembers thinking that very same thing about McGarrett himself the day he arrived in Hohokus. It could also be that the previous governor of Hawaii misused the power he received from the king, to assuage a deep need for revenge maybe, or to gain something in the pursuit of his own interest.

Adam seems ill at ease for a second, and then his face reflects his new determination. Danny feels himself leaning forward, impatient.

"You have to know that the lordling McGarrett was fighting against, Wo Fat, became in fact the new governor. This man one day came out of nowhere and made himself at home in Hawaii. He became a force to reckon with, someone whose influence grew with alarming swiftness, taking out the ones who disagreed with him or tried to stand in his way, to the point that McGarrett and his family had to go into hiding. Don’t quote me on this, but I've always wondered how much in Wo Fat's way Governor Jameson stood at some point. For Wo Fat had obvious ambitions that indeed led him to become our new governor after Jameson passed away."

"Logic says to look for the person who benefits most from the crime. Did McGarrett have any reason to want Jameson dead ?"

"Not that I know of. But by all accounts, he was found leaning over his still warm body, hands bloody, murder weapon close by."

"Even guilty, this doesn't explain why he was sequestered away from all other prisoners. Or why I was asked to keep his presence a secret. By the way, this is an order you can tell the governor that I couldn't exactly enforce, even if I wanted to, as I needed other guards to help me take care of McGarrett, especially in my absence."

"The governor won't be happy with this news."

"Well, tough. I can send him McGarrett back, if he feels he'll do a better job on his own."

Which is a big bold lie, because at this point he already considers himself the only one able to take good care of this man, but he won't let a governor or his underling tell him how to do his job.

"I'm sure I can explain your point of view."

"Good. Tell him I'm not a one man army and that as well as I intend to do my job, I still need sleep as well as to be able to see my kids now and then."

"I will, Daniel. Lord Denning is a father too, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Okay. Back to the topic, was there any real investigation done about McGarrett's crime ? Or was his presence next to the body so convenient that no one ever looked further ? Was he even trialed at some point ?"

"There was no trial, and the investigation seemed superfluous, everybody knew he was guilty."

"By everybody, you mean what, the police, the soldiers who found him, the king ? But what about the people of Hawaii ? What about his friends and family ?"

"The people in power thought he was guilty, it was enough for them."

"Governor Denning never thought of ordering a real investigation that could lead eventually to giving the man a fair trial ?"

"I don't think so," Adam responds, but he doesn't seem at ease with the topic.

"Why ?" Danny insists.

"Because that's not what the king wants."

"The king has a special interest in this case ?"

"Does it seem so strange to you ? A governor has been killed, the representative of the king. It stands to reason that his majesty would closely follow all aspects of the events pertaining to this tragedy."

"I do get that. What I was asking is, do you feel the king's interest in the matter goes beyond what is expected of him ?"

"I'm not sure I follow your train of thought."

"Look, don't you think it's strange that the king wants this man buried in a prison, so far that he orders him to be masked and his name forgotten, doesn't care that he's abused repeatedly, when he could have just got him hanged or decapitated, end of the problem ? Unless he's not so sure about McGarrett's guilt. And then one day out of the blue, the king has a change of heart, suddenly cares about the abuse, and decides it shouldn't happen anymore ?"

"If you're referring to McGarrett being sent here, the governor made the decision, not the king."

"Okay, but do you really believe Governor Denning would have done so if he thought the king wouldn't approve of this decision ? As you said yourself, he's the royal representative, not a free agent."

It seems Danny's given Adam food for thought.

"Maybe some new evidence came to the king's attention ? Unless one of his deputies thought it prudent to interview the prisoner to know about possible future attempts on the king's life and realized it would be impossible if McGarrett was too damaged to answer, or maybe even dead."

Danny feels a shiver traveling through his whole body thinking about Steven dead.

Noshimuri might not be telling him everything he knows about McGarrett, but Danny's pretty sure the governor didn't tell him much more about the king's intentions so he lets it go and invites the deputy to come back for diner. Adam doesn't ask to see the prisoner and it's just as well because Danny would have to forbid it.

It's got nothing to do with the fact that Adam Noshimuri is a nice and handsome guy. Danny's got orders. No one is allowed to see Lord Steven J. McGarrett.

Jupiter. He can't help smiling already. He's not gonna let Steven hear the end of it.

\-------------

The first time the warden shaved Steve was the beginning of some cat and mouse game between them, and Steve can recall to mind every part of it for it will forever figure into the sexiest moments of his adult life.

"Warden, I badly need to shave. Would you be so kind as to bring me a folding razor ?"

Williams smiles, clearly not fooled by Steve's plans.

"You know I can't allow you the use of a blade, McGarrett. I can, however, be your personal barber for the duration of your stay under my care. I'm probably not the best groomer in this land, but I can attest to some fifteen years of personal knowledge in the matter of daily shaving. Would that be a convenient arrangement for you ?"

For some reason, the idea of Warden Williams up close and personal with him enough to put his hands on his face to make his cheeks, chin and throat smoother to the touch is strangely alluring. And then it would of course put the razor close enough that he might be able one day, when they've done this so many times that the warden isn't so careful anymore, to snatch it and force Williams to free him. It's a fleeting thought, knowing that he's nowhere near a state where he can win a fight, but it's there.

The first time Williams has a basin of hot water and shaving foam brought to his cell, he cuffs Steve's hands in his back to make sure he won't try to steal the razor blade and threaten him with it. Steve's shirt is also unbuttoned to spread the sides of his high collar far from his neck and Steve becomes very aware of the warden's intimate proximity to his body as soon as his hands begin to play with his face.

Not for one second does Steve feel worried by the blade moving on one of the most vulnerable parts of his body. All he's thinking about is Williams' alluring scent and the caress of his fingers throughout the long shaving session, the light buzz taking his own body as he remembers Daniel Williams could do everything he wants to him and Steve would have very little chance to stop him. And he feels himself hardening at the thought, more potent than the times he's hanging naked in the restroom and Williams is washing his whole body like he's grooming a pet, gently and with no hint of lust.

After two years of being mistreated, physically shamed by dick guards who had no qualms keeping him naked and humiliated and killed all sexual desire in him, Steve finds he might be lusting after the first man who's been showing him respect and kindness.

And this lust might be reciprocal, given the long looks Williams spares over his newly beardless face.

The next time Williams comes to shave him, Steve has already unbuttoned his own shirt entirely to make sure it will open wide and maybe Williams will be overcome by the desire to touch him. His plan doesn't succeed – not the one about securing a blade, already forgotten after he once again promised the warden that he would never take advantage of the situation ; no, the one about seducing the tipstaff into touching him and bringing him to completion. But once again Steve's seen the modified game of peek-a-boo William's played with him, and mostly lost.

So he takes his shirt entirely off for the next shaving encounter, on the pretext that they still got it wet the previous time.

Whether Williams buys it or not, his eyes return to Steve's chest again and again. Steve should probably be a bit more concerned by the big blade wielded at his throat without the appropriate care, but he just can't. His own eyes follow Williams', and he's sure they convey the lust and need his whole body already screams. The warden's hands are hot and smooth against the skin of his chin and cheeks. At times, the left one descends to Steve's shoulder and Steve enjoys the firmness of its hold, as well as the little, non-voluntary caress of his thumb on his clavicle. He dreams of it when there's nothing more to hang his lust upon at night, the feeling of Williams' fingers on parts of his body and the scent he already associates with the nicest moments of his current life.

Were they not in this situation, one a warden and the other his prisoner, Steve would have been friends with Daniel Williams, that's a sure fact. As sure as he would have tried to put him in his bed soon after their first meeting.

But here in this prison, Steve can only taunt his warden and dream. Imagine the man taking advantage of his cuffed hands to finish undressing him, play with his sex and push his own penis into Steve's more than willing mouth. Or better yet, his very willing ass.

Day after day, and not twice a week or so as they usually do, shaving Steve after disrobing him entirely, to admire not only his chest but all the rest of his finely-toned body – in his dreams, Steve is already back to full health. To admire Steve's sex, hardening every time in such closeness. Steve's ass, that very few men ever got to see up close and personal before his time in prison, but that all of those lucky few admired and enjoyed. Steve wants to share this gift with his warden, seduce him as well as being kind of roughed up by him. It's a rare morning when Steve doesn't wake up and spend his semen on thoughts of Daniel Williams making him his personal prisoner, keeping him chained and naked in his bed for all time to come.

But Williams firmly keeps on being noble and respectful. Ain't that a bummer !

Steve's stubbornness finally pays one day when a stray rivulet of rinsing water rolls down Steve's throat to reach his chest. It's a damn cold morning and Steve's nipples are already peaking, but they do it so much more under Danny's unmoving stare as the now-cold water runs over one of them. The water keeps falling down, joining his pants to make the bulge down there incredibly obvious.

"Can you…" Steve tries, voice shattered, and by now it's lust breaking it down, not lack of use, "can you dry me, please ?"

Danny seems to forget the towel altogether, brushing his left hand's second finger along Steve's ribs to catch the next drop of water. The finger doesn't stop there : it goes up, touch light and evil, up and up until it crosses Steve's nipple and takes its time passing over it, not nearly enough time before it continues its way up to Steve's throat and chin, up to his mouth. Steve closes his lips over Danny's digit, and it feels to both of them like lightning entered the room without warning.

Danny staggers and takes a step back, leaving Steve bereft, mouth still open and tongue searching for its lost candy.

They look at each other for a while, until a dispute in the prison lets them hear shouts and insults and Danny seems to wake up from the trance they shared, leaving soon to see what's happening out there.

They never talk about this moment or their mutual attraction after that, and Danny makes sure not to touch Steve more than strictly necessary.

\-------------

"Cabbage hotpot, today, Steven. You're gonna love this !"

There's so much glee in Danny's voice that Steve vows he'll indeed love it, even if it's only to make the warden happy in return.

But the hotpot is indeed delicious, tasty and rich, the kind of elaborate meal he used to enjoy in his childhood, back before disaster struck and disbanded his family year after year, leaving him pretty much alone. But now's not the time for thoughts of that ilk.

"The Jersey province has to be very rich, for it's taking such good care of its prisons' inmates."

"It might be, but it hasn't deemed important to share this fortune with me. A good part of my budget for the prison goes into the food to feed you and the other prisoners."

"A well-fed prisoner won't try to escape, that's your theory ?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Good try, Daniel, but that's not exactly what I heard through the grapevine. I have it on good authority that your favorite _residents_ , especially those who need it, get special treatment and that _you_ cook for them."

"It's more that I cook for myself and share the leftovers."

Steve looks at him with fondness, while the man mutters about chatty guards who should know better, and he keeps eating.

"You're such a bad liar. How come someone like you became a warden ? Please believe that I'm not trying to mock you, but you seem too nice a man to keep in check dangerous criminals and untrustworthy miscreants."

Danny takes his comment with a laugh, showing that Steve didn't hurt him. On the contrary, he seems rather pleased with the description.

"Well, I do have some ethics leading my life. Even at the time I was a soldier fighting for our country, I didn't take any pleasure in wounding or killing our enemies. I was lucky enough that the end of my career in the army, because of a bad injury, coincided with the capture of a most-wanted general from the other army. For this arrest, the king offered me a title and a medal, a great deal of money, and finally this posting in exchange for the knee now incapacitating me in the field. While I was not overjoyed at first to become a guard to the scum of the universe, I got to watch over prisoners and make sure they were well treated, as it quickly appeared to me this was an important job I was given."

Steve already knows that Williams is former military and he's not surprised at all to hear that he cares for all his prisoners. He's the kind of guy hardships don't make bitter and cruel, but on the contrary more understanding and caring. Even if his caring is hidden under witty barbs and biting repartees, he doesn't fool Steve at all. His actions speak too loud.

It turns out that Bailiff Hesse's actions speak just as loud, but their speech carries a very different tune.

\-------------

"Well, well, well. What do we have here ?"

The man is blond, taller than Danny, but he doesn't strike the same attractive figure in his uniform that the warden does without even trying. It might be because he wears his self-importance as armor and looks down on Steve with the same kind of contempt he remembers all too well getting daily confronted with back in Haweila.

"The bailiff asked you a question," the man directly behind Hesse reminds Steve with a kick in the shin.

This might be the bailiff's brother, Anton, but the men don't look alike at all.

"Sorry, sir," Steve finally answers, "I'm not at liberty to say my name. The warden calls me Steven, to keep my identity secret as per the king's orders."

"First meeting, and he's already denying a direct order from you," the third man concludes. "I can see we're gonna have a lot of fun with this one."

Steve's heart sinks at those words. He didn't expect the bailiff and his men to be good guys like Danny, Duke and Nahele, but he never imagined things would go wrong the very first minute they would meet, caught in a 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' trap. And yet.

"You're right, Duclair. I think a thorough search is in order to see what else he's hiding."

Duclair and Anton come next to him. First they disrobe him, unchaining him and then putting the chains back on once his clothes are off. Steve wants to fight, it's almost killing him to keep calm, because he learned once more thanks to the warden than he had choices and could make his voice heard. But he remembers all too well the guards in Haweila, hitting him again and again until he learned to shut up and let them do what they wanted with him.

He falls back into that state of mind and lets them search him as they wish, humiliation rolling off his back as he replays in his mind the latest conversation Danny and him shared before he had to leave to go back home for a well-deserved week of rest.

\-------------

It's night already when Danny arrives home, and the kids are in bed. He makes sure to be as silent as possible but he can't resist visiting Grace and Charlie in their respective rooms to kiss them. They both look like angels, and Grace smiles in her sleep when she feels her father's hand gently stroking her hair.

The children don't show him the same consideration come morning, entering his bedroom with cries of joy before they jump on his bed and latch onto him like crazy monkeys. The three of them cuddle for a solid hour, the kids telling him about the small events of their lives in the past weeks, before Danny's stomach complains too loudly.

"Hey, Uncle Danny," Eric greets him with a big, goofy smile when they enter the kitchen.

The kid has a standing invitation and he uses it especially when he knows Danny will be here. It warms Danny's curmudgeon heart, and Eric knows how to read, through gruff affection and tough love, that he'll always be more than welcome in his uncle's house. In return, Eric takes care of his kids, makes sure their nanny lacks for nothing or provides it as soon as he can. Danny tips him every time he comes home, giving him a list of tasks to perform in his absence, and he's sure that way to keep the kid, who doesn't have a dad to look out for him, out of trouble.

Duke and Nahele are there too, already eating breakfast, and they greet Danny with smiles and hand gestures before the kids run to hug them too.

Danny sits in his usual place at the end of the table as soon as the kids are settled and all plates full. He digs in with the appetite he worked up travelling on the previous day and bypassing dinner in favor of his comfortable bed. As he munches on his food, he wonders what Steven is going to eat today and the entire week as he rests in the bailiff's strict hands.

But he forces himself to leave that kind of thought behind him. It's not fair to his kids to be thinking about his job while he's there with them at last. They deserve his full attention.

Nahele and Duke leave soon after for the city. They'll be back in six days, on the evening before they have to ride back to work, spending the night here so that they can all leave early.

\-------------

"Good morning, prisoner. Are you going to answer my question today ?"

Steve jolts awake and wants to go back to the most pleasant dream in which Danny and him were arguing about the best horses and where to find them, Jersey or Hawaii. For the life of him, he can't remember what the bailiff is talking about.

"What ?" he croaks and rubs at his eyes as well as he can through the mask.

In the next second, he finds himself face down on the floor where Duclair pushed him. A heavy boot at the small of his back prevents him from moving.

"Do we have to teach you respect on top of honesty, prisoner ?" Duclair wonders and then succumbs to a coughing fit that translates to the foot on Steve's back jostling him around on the hard floor.

"No, sir, I'm sorry if I offended you," he answers, words mumbled as another foot, this one belonging to Anton, settles on the back of his head and forces him to speak mouth against the floor.

In his head, his answer is much less reverent, something like 'sorry for offending your delicate sensibilities,' but he makes sure to look subservient to the guards.

"Really ?" the bailiff asks. "Then will you tell us your name ?"

"Wish that I could, but I'm not at liberty to say."

Obviously, this is not the right answer. The foot on his head becomes heavier, while the other one lifts up to give him a brutal kick in the ass.

"Move !" Duclair bellows.

Steve is suddenly forced to stand up by two pairs of hands gripping his clothes.

"Search him again," Hesse orders to his men.

Of course, neither little brother Hesse nor Duclair find anything. Steve had to play this game once at Haweila and he knows it might last a while, maybe even every time the three men come inside his cell. Danny is coming back soon and Hesse might not yet be tired of playing by then. Steven is certainly classified as a dangerous prisoner, which is the perfect reason for the daily search, even though no one else is allowed here. In Haweila, it happened that the guards planted objects in his cell and pretended he knew they were here, which would give them a good excuse to flog him. He doesn’t think Hesse and his cronies are quite there yet, but it's a possibility he hopes the three of them won't think of.

"Nothing ?" the bailiff asks, almost disappointed. "Very well, time to wash up !"

Washing with these three guys is definitely not the sexy but frustratingly platonic business Danny has made of this moment they spend together, locked in the tiny restroom. Steve's ankles are not attached anymore, and he's pretty sure Danny will offer him soon to wash himself.

Hesse clearly expects him to do the work, and it's a relief. He might appreciate Danny's hands – or close enough, the washcloth doesn't count – on his bare skin, but he doesn't want to feel the ones of bullies whose aim is to humiliate him as much as they can, looking at him naked as he gets himself clean.

He's shivering well before the end. There's no hot water and they made him wash in the main room. He's cold, and they know it.

When he goes to put his clothes back on, Duclair stands in his way with a nasty smile and bloodshot eyes that show he's sick with a bad cold and happy to take it out on Steve.

"Last chance to tell us your name," the bailiff says behind him.

"You know I can't," he says with sorrow in his voice, wary of what they're going to do to him.

"Okay, suit yourself. Jason, let him get his clothes."

Steve dresses quickly but then he's pushed to sit on his bench. Anton keeps a hand on him to make sure he won't move while Duclair opens a small barrel Steve hadn't seen, right by the door, and takes new chains out of it. The metal clinks loudly as the chains are passed through the rings embedded in the wall, but they seem much louder when they are tied around Steve's wrists and ankles. He's spread eagle, position already exacting, and then a last chain is looped around his neck three times, holding him effectively in place. He can't lie down or stand up. He can't move, period.

"Here," the bailiff admires their good work. "Now you've got time to think about obedience. I'll come back later to see if you've changed your mind."

\-------------

Danny puts the last touch to his clothing when Eric's head appears through the door the kids forgot to close when they left for breakfast.

"Can we train today, Uncle Danny ?"

"Sure. Get your cousins and meet me outside."

Eric runs away as Danny goes to choose two swords – dulled ones, of course, Eric's not that good yet, probably never will be, he's not a fighter – and three rapier-like sticks. He has time to put on a thick coat and a scarf to ward off the cold and the snow, and then walk to the space in the garden they use for training before all three children, just as warmly clothed, come out running. Behind them, Melissa follows at a more sedate pace.

Danny wishes he still had so much energy as the kids.

Training begins, Gracie against Charlie, and Melissa against Eric. Danny corrects stances and strokes, amused more often than impressed, but they're really trying.

It's not very ladylike, for sure, but he'd rather his little girl to be seen as a tomboy than easy prey. So he teaches her just like he teaches the boys, and she keeps training with Charlie when he's away. Even Melissa asked him for a few pointers after a while, probably thinking that she was often alone in the house at night and that being able to defend herself and the kids wasn't such a bad idea. Danny encourages her, and she's not bad at all, able now to train the kids in his absence. What she lacks in sheer power, she makes up in determination.

After the sword comes the punch training. Danny smiles ruefully as he watches Grace pounding the mannequin with her small fists and the best technique out of all his students. Charlie is too short and light, too young also to have a good coordination and do real damage to the bag of straw that Danny attached to the picket fence but he's doing as best he can, full of energy and good will. Eric is obviously the best at this game. At fifteen, he's almost a man, probably going to be taller than Danny, if not by much. Stockier also, whereas Danny always remained slim despite the width of his shoulders.

"Go on, Eric," he pushes him, "show me that right hook I taught you. Good ! Again ! Harder, boy ! Gracie's hitting harder than you."

That's not true, but Grace is pleased and shows it through the smile displaying pretty white teeth while Eric redoubles his effort, imitated by Charlie who does a lot of unnecessary flailing ; Danny wants to laugh, so happy to be here with his favorite people in the world.

\-------------

Later meant that Steve was left alone in his cell for two days and one night. He hasn't eaten for more than that and his stomach is growling unhappily, but this isn't the worst of it.

"You pissed yourself !" Hesse exclaims, disgusted, as he stands in front of him.

"That's what happens when you keep a man tied for two days," Steve responds evenly, hoping to get a rise out of the other man, because he's mad to have been left like that for so long and he hurts everywhere.

It works all too well.

"Very well. Anton, get a grunt to fetch some buckets. I want them filled with water."

"Out of the well ?" Anton guesses, cruel smile taking over his face.

"Of course, little brother. Cold water. Steven needs to be taught a lesson, doesn't he ?"

For the first time as they undress him, Steve struggles like a madman despite the pain in his back and limbs. Duclair seems to be even worse than the other day and not very coordinated, but Steve's clothes disappear inexorably anyway and he finds himself soon chained again. Into the restroom this time, and naked.

When the first icy bucket is thrown at him, Steve grits his teeth. The second feels like pins burrow into his skin but he closes his eyes and imagines the sun, down in Oahu, to refrain from making any sound.

The bailiff doesn't like it, and he has Anton and Duclair throwing the icy cold water at him at the same time from both sides. Steve laughs despite himself when the guys rant at getting wet too, but all it achieves is pissing them off and now they're really doing their worst as two other guards bring more and more buckets of the fire-cold water.

At the tenth assault, Steve can't take it anymore and he cries out.

But the torture keeps going, and soon he has a hard time breathing, swallowing parts of what's thrown at him. It quenches his thirst at first, but it also goes inside his nose and the effect is unpleasant to say the least.

His domino is utterly waterlogged, and if Steve sheds a tear or two as the men around him laugh at his expense, it makes no difference, not even to Steve himself.

\-------------

It's raining buckets when the next day dawns, and it never gets better as the hours go by. Danny thinks that at least McGarrett is sheltered from the bad weather in his cell. But the children quickly become restless, cooped up inside the house, and Danny has to use every trick he knows to keep them calm instead of fighting for the silliest reasons. He gets a bit of time for himself at last after he tucks them in bed for their afternoon nap, and he's able to come back to his office to sit with a book and a good glass of mead.

But he finds he can't quite get his head into the story and his eyes wander to look through the window, taking in the gorgeous dark skies and turbulent nature. He thinks about McGarrett and his stories about Hawaii, the quick rain and constant sun, and he wonders if he could enjoy a place where the seasons just blend into another, no such things as snow or biting cold to make you appreciate the warm days all the more once they're back. Surely, the heat alone would make such a place unpleasant and insufferable. It's more than likely he wouldn't enjoy it at all.

"Danno," Grace says, suddenly at his side, "what are you reading ?"

Charlie is right behind her, and he never heard them coming in, nor did he realize it was getting so late in the afternoon.

"I'm not quite sure, Gracie," he replies, letting her see the cover of his book. "I was thinking about a faraway land one of my inmates told me about. A place where the sun shines almost all the time."

"Really ?" Grace asks, already seduced. "Where is it ?"

"Down in the south, the farthest part of the continent."

Charlie settles in his lap to listen to him as Danny kisses his blond head. Still a bit drowsy after his nap, Charlie yawns wide. Grace goes to his small library to look for the encyclopedia. He's always been proud of her keen intelligence. She's learned to read easily and loves to be taught new stuff. He's also sad at times to think that her intelligence is lost on a woman, that it probably won't help her in the future and will be more of a curse than a chance, for no man will want to encourage her bright understanding of the world and her persistent questioning of their society. There's a strong chance that she'll have to hide her talents or resign herself to live alone.

But she's so happy to discover something new when she gets back to them with the big book – almost too big and heavy for her small arms – that Danny forgets his bleak predictions and looks up Hawaii in the encyclopedia. There's not much, but a map shows the contours of the south end of the continent, black drawing on yellow paper of the one hundred and fifty five peninsulas of the Hawaiian province, like the claws of many dragons marching into the sea.

"Look," he says to the kids, showing them the biggest one, "this is Hawaii, the peninsula that gave its name to the whole province. And this here is Oahu, the one my inmate comes from. Steven says it's the most beautiful, but I'm not sure he's not partial."

He says it in a hushed tone, as if telling a secret, and the children laugh.

The next morning, rain over and sun back high in the sky, Danny goes into town and buys a book about Hawaii for the kids. The three of them plus Eric spend some time again in the afternoon learning about the faraway province.

"Daddy," Grace asks him when she stumbles upon a word she doesn't know yet, "what's an ith-mus ?"

"Isthmus," he pronounces clearly and waits for both Grace and Charlie to repeat after him before he looks for the map, in the encyclopedia that stayed open after they read everything they could about Hawaii, and shows it to the children. "It's a strip of land between two seas, just like here on Oahu, that part connecting the land and the peninsula. Steven says that when the tide is high, the whole isthmus disappears under water, making Oahu a real island for a few hours."

"I'd love to see it. Can we go someday ?"

"Yes, Danno, can we go ?" Charlie seconds the request.

"I don't know. It's a really long trip to get there."

"Please, Danno," Gracie insists, and Danny feels himself giving in even before she continues. "You can ask your Steven to show us Oahu."

Danny almost chokes on his own saliva as he tries to swallow.

"He's not _my_ Steven," he finally manages to clear up. "He's my inmate, which means he can't leave the prison. You remember what I told you about the prison, don't you ?"

"That you're looking after the guys who made bad choices in their life and they're 'prisoned to not hurt people anymore," Charlie repeats, or close enough, what Danny taught him.

"Exactly."

"What bad choice did Steven make ?" Grace asks, always curious.

"That's a secret, monkey. I can't tell you or I would have to tickle you forever so that you can't tell other people."

He translates words into action, taking her into his arms to tickle her left side. She cracks up immediately and her laughter fills his heart and soul with joy as well as puts an end to the loaded topic.

\-------------

He can't stop coughing. He asked for broth earlier. He doesn't even need something as good as what Danny cooks, but anything to make his throat calm down.

After the torture was finally over, his guards tied him again and they still have to let him go. They also have to give him his clothes back. They took them on the purpose of getting them washed, and they also stripped the bed of his straw mattress, leaving only the bare wooden skeleton of the bench that digs into his legs, ass and back. He's hurting but he can barely move an inch, whatever the direction.

The sun has almost gone down by now, and the lamp has long run out of oil to burn, leaving him in the dark, so Steve can say he's been alone for the better part of two days. The purpose of this game is probably to let him go stir crazy, in the hope he will become the perfect prisoner, subservient and too happy to comply. The bailiff doesn't know that down in Haweila, Steven was left unattended for ten days once. He's the first to admit he was certifiably insane for a while after that. It had seemed like two months at least, as if no one was ever going to talk to him again, or let him out. As if he was to die alone, the last man on Earth.

There's simply no comparison with two days and one night here in Hohokus, where he can still hear the noises the other inmates and guards make as they see to their lives and duties.

Surely, Hesse and his goons must be very disappointed that leaving him to rot alone had so little impact on him and they now come every hour, each in turn, to ask for his name. They say he will get his broth if he speaks, and only the knowledge that the punishment will be far worse if he gives in keeps him silent. They seem to take great pleasure in seeing him coughing his lungs up, especially Duclair who looks and sounds better by now, as if his own illness has been passed on to Steve and it's indeed a matter to rejoice in. Steve could argue that it's not, but he doesn't need the attention.

All he wants is to drink, eat and sleep, in that order.

And Danny. Danny has to come back, right now. Please.

\-------------

Melissa comes and goes during Danny's stay at home. She's got her own tiny house in the outskirts of Newark, not that far from here actually, left to her after her husband passed away. She rents it to make money, but she could go back there if she wanted. Technically, she's not under any obligation to be around when Danny's there, but she loves the kids and says she really enjoys taking care of them.

He often wonders if she sticks around to see him too.

He's pretty sure that any advance on his part would be welcomed with open arms. He knows it from the way she looks at him with bright, happy eyes, every time he's back home, in the way she blushes but doesn’t try to get away when he kisses her cheek, just like he does with Grace and Charlie, before going back to Hohokus.

Danny likes Melissa very much. She's a good, caring person, a strong and beautiful woman, and she loves his kids. He would be a happy man if Melissa married him. She would give him more children, beautiful and strong like her. He's thought about it, more than a few times. It would be the logical thing to do for a man in his position, a widower in need of a woman to take care of his children.

Although her husband died in mysterious circumstances, Melissa and he can relate in this feeling of having been left behind somehow. They don't speak much of the ones they've lost. It's not because of the age difference ; Melissa is smart and kind, she's been through a lot and learned the real cost of living, the one to your soul. But she doesn't spend much time dwelling over her losses, she prefers to look at the future. Danny worries, she calms him down. Danny rants, and she gently laughs. That's how he knows she's good for his kids. She's a good listener, also good at defusing any situation that may appear as dreadfully tragic to a five year old, and she never feels condescending.

So yeah, marrying her would probably be the smart thing to do. And yet, something always stopped him. The knowledge that he's not in love with her, and that he wants more from his next relationship. The certainty that he doesn't want to make the same mistake again after he married Rachel for all the wrong reasons and didn't see their relationship for what it was before she was gone, and although he felt sad and lonely, he didn't miss her as much as he should have.

So he makes sure to keep Melissa at arm's length, never letting her believe there's more than mutual appreciation between them. An innocent camaraderie, nothing the bigots at St Mary's church would find interesting to gossip about.

When he leaves this time, Nahele and Duke on his heels, he forgets about her as soon as his horse moves, and turns his thoughts to his job. Wondering how he's going to find the prison, and a certain prisoner especially, upon his return.

\-------------

The answer is not well.

"Really, McGarrett ?' he says as he looks down at _his_ prisoner lying miserable on his bed, "I go away for one week, one little week, and you can’t even manage to take care of yourself in such a short time ?!"

"Not my fault," Steve mumbles right before a terrible cough wracks his whole body.

"Not his fault, he says," and Danny’s laugh sounds a bit like a sob.

He should be able to feel reassured, when he's away, with the knowledge that Steven is here, in this particular prison, far from the dangers of his previous life, in a place where he's still protected even when Danny can't look after him in person. But it's obviously too much to ask for with men like the bailiff as his second.

"What am I supposed to do with you, Steven ?"

He wishes he knew what it is about this man that makes him care so much, more than he ever did about any of his other prisoners.

\-------------

He finds his second in command soon after, getting ready to accompany a prisoner's transport, and fights with himself to maintain a calm demeanor as long as they're not in private.

"A word with you, Mr. Hesse."

Hesse follows Danny without comment, probably sensing that something is amiss.

Danny waits to be in his office, sitting at his desk, to look at Hesse who stands at parade right in front of him.

"I thought I had been very clear before I left. The prisoner was not to be mistreated in any way."

"I'm sorry, sir, but he was the one responsible for his own trouble. Leniency led him to believe he could do anything he wanted and I had to make him see the error of his ways."

"My leniency, you mean."

"I mean no disrespect…"

"Yes, you do. And I don't care. The only important thing here is that I'm the one giving the orders, and you're the one obeying them. So there better not be a next time, or I'll have you relieved of your duties and thrown out of this prison. Or maybe thrown in. I'm sure we can find a cell big enough for you and your ego, Mr. Hesse."

He sees the other man's jaw clenching with the insult and wishes Hesse would react. Give him any reason to get rid of him, for Steve's sake, and because the guy has been an insufferable prick from day one, showing with all the height he has on Danny how little he thinks of the parvenu who stole the job that should have been his by God and his personal interpretation of the law.

"So, can you explain how Steven got that badly ill in under a week's time after I left him in perfect health ?"

"He soiled himself."

"How did that happen ?"

"He was arrogant and insolent. I had him restrained for a few hours."

"How does it relate to him catching such a bad cold ?"

"We had to clean his clothes, of course. Decency forbade us to let him rot in soiled clothes."

"And ?"

"And that’s when he caught ill."

"Why ?"

"Probably because he was cold."

Danny squeezes the bridge of his nose, fighting to keep calm.

"Are you telling, or rather _not_ telling me, that you left him naked during the time you had his clothes washed ? In March ? In this blizzard ?!"

"It’s not that cold inside, and he’s a strong man. How could I imagine he would get sick ?"

"I don’t know, Hesse. Maybe you could have thought for a minute. Or maybe you could have used a little bit of that decency you’re so fond of and not leave him naked for hours !"

"He was alone, there was no shame in this."

Danny takes a deep breath. And then lets it go as his voice gets louder and louder and his arms circulate the air around him and display how furious he feels.

"You idiot ! You and your men will get no pay for the past week and maybe it will teach you the meaning of taking good care of our inmates. I want it clear for our next shift that this prisoner in particular is not to be left naked alone in his cell for any extended period of time, even in full summer. If his clothes have to be washed, you will dress him again with a change. If he has to be restrained at all, you will leave a bucket in close enough proximity for him to use it, even without both hands available. Am I clear enough for you, Bailiff ?!"

"Yes, sir !"

Danny loves Hesse's sudden easy obedience. Had he known shouting was the way to go, he would have tried it long ago. He'd very much love to keep making the man feel bad but he has more pressing matters to deal with. Like caring for a sick man.

"Dismissed," he hisses, and doesn't wait to watch Hesse trot out of his office.

Instead, he turns to his personal rooms and enters the kitchen. As usual, Duke has made sure that the pantry was restocked and Danny takes in the available vegetables to put together for a warm soup that he will feed McGarrett until his prisoner gets better.

As the broth simmers and the scent makes his cold office more homey, he recalls to mind the way he's yelled at his subordinate. He's got to be honest and admit he's lost it.

He’s lost it in a way he hasn't since the last time he was in a fight, all his comrades around him sliced and diced by scimitars and cutlasses long as his arm, until he was fed up with seeing the blood of his friends marring the battlefield. High on the pain in his own knee, he decided that if he had to die too today, he could as well do it on the enemy’s side and take a few of them with him on the road to hell. So he marched on, or rather limped, probably appearing so harmless to the other army that no one bothered to kill a small and injured man before he offered quite a few of them a clean demise, until he almost came nose to nose with this general taking a piss in the bushes, the kind of military man right out of a farce, decked out in so many ribbons, trinkets and medals over his chest and shoulders that it was easier seeing his small dick than his round red face screaming panic and disbelief.

But yelling at the bailiff today had nothing to do with the war exploit that got him money and a knighthood. Danny fears his little show has given away far too explicitly the special feelings he hardly begins to admit for himself.

He's come to terms with being attracted to Steven. He can't afford to have feelings for a man who might stay locked away till the end of his natural life. He can't ask of him to reciprocate those feelings when Steven has no choice but him for a lover.

Shit ! How is this his life ?!

\-------------

It takes about two weeks for Steve to get fully back on his feet and he uses every single day of that time to extract any advantage he can think of out of Danny, Duke and Nahele. The guys are feeling so glaringly guilty when it comes to the way Hesse and his men treated him that he doesn't have to do much to get them to bend over backwards and bring him what he vaguely expresses a desire for. Short of getting released, he thinks he could ask just about anything of them and they would cave in.

This is when he should ask for Danny to let him wash himself, but he doesn't. Every morning, he's ready to ask, but as soon as he finds himself naked in front of the other man, he gulps back the words and enjoys once again the feeling of those sure hands on him. Tomorrow, he thinks, I'll ask tomorrow.

He waits for one of his epic coughing fits to leave him wheezing a little before he kind of babbles a carefully prepared speech about the feeling of the sun over his body that he can't quite remember. In this closed cell he's living in, there's nothing more than the tiniest aperture, almost an arrow slit really, but placed so high above the ground that no archer could reach it. It's giving Steve a sense of day and night, but nothing more. His body craves the sun. It's been craving it for more than two years now. Even the trip to Jersey was spent in a closed cart he was never allowed to leave before he arrived at Hohokus, night already fallen.

His need probably shows and it doesn't take long for Danny to give in and find a way to indulge him without disclosing his presence any more than it's already been done.

Danny intended to move him into a different cell at first, but then he thought that keeping him close to his own apartment was too handy to change that, so Steve stayed where he had been put from the beginning. And it's sure very easy to take him, wrists and ankles closely chained of course, for the few steps between his cell and Danny's office without anyone seeing them.

Steve takes in the big room and its oak furniture while Danny goes to the tainted-glass window and opens it. There's not much sun to speak of, but seeing the sky is such an improvement that he's not going to bitch about it. And maybe after this first time, if Steve is well behaved, the warden will be easier to convince to repeat the experience on a more sunny day.

Danny puts a quilt on his shoulders to keep him warm and then takes him to the chair he's placed under the window. He lets Danny sit him down and throw another quilt on his legs, the feeling of fresh air on his face nothing short of wondrous.

Danny reminds him he's not to go closer to the window and show himself to the guards in the courtyard before he goes about putting a pot of water over the fire gently crackling in the big chimney next to Danny's desk. They don't speak as they wait for the water to boil. Steve fills his eyes and soul with the luminous gift of a winter morning tottering on the edge of spring but still too shy to fall into it. He's never really seen winter, not like that. Winter in Hawaii is never this cold and stormy. He discovered the snow upon arriving in Jersey, in the few blissful seconds between the cart and the prison, and even though the cold was biting and his clothes too thin he loved the white coat spread over the courtyard. He's glad there's still some ribbons of snow here and there on the roofs he can see, and down on the grass, on this patch of land on the hill that the rampart walk in front of him doesn't hide.

"I like the snow," he finally says when Danny makes noises a few feet away from him, making tea.

"Hmm ?" Danny asks, just as lost it seems in his task.

"The snow," he repeats, "I had never seen it before coming to Jersey. I like it, it's white and pure."

"I guess it is," Danny answers as he brings him a cup of tea and stands at his side looking through the window. "Until you have to deal with the grey mush it becomes in a city where people, horses and carts trudge through it all day long."

Steve glares at him.

"Did you really have to go there ? Dirty my experience when I'm baring my soul to you ?"

Maybe Steve laid it on a bit thick because Danny doesn't really look ashamed, but he apologizes.

"Sorry, but it's true. I can relate though. One of my favorite times of the year is being able to play in the snow with my kids."

Danny has a dreamy smile as he says it that tells Steve a lot.

"You did just that during your week out there, didn't you ?"

"I did, and I guess you would have liked it too. Maybe I could have asked the kids to pelt _you_ with snowballs instead of their poor suffering father."

"You wouldn't do that to your poor suffering prisoner !"

"Yes, I would," Danny laughs. "Very much."

"How old are your kids ?"

"Grace is 9, and Charlie's 5. But there's also my nephew Eric, who is 15, and crap as he is with a sword, he packs a mean snowball. I tell you, the youth shows no respect anymore to their elders."

It's Steve's turn to laugh.

"I hear you, old man."

Danny brings a second chair close to Steve's and settles comfortably with his tea and the piece of cake he brought for them both that Steve recognizes from the last evening supper.

"Your nephew lives with you ?" Steve asks, genuinely interested in knowing more about this man.

"Yes and no. His father died at sea when he was just a small thing and Eric needed a father figure. My little brother Matty is still not ready for that kind of duty, and my father's health is quite precarious, so I had to step up."

"His mother's still around ?"

"Stella, yes, my big sis. But she's been a bit overwhelmed taking care of my aging parents and keeping a job to feed her kid and herself, so she was glad I was willing to help, even though I wasn't always around. Eric's a good kid, he just needs to be reminded once in a while of his duty to others. He loves being helpful, makes him feel useful too."

"Big family you've got."

"Not that big, unless you mention my uncle Vito and his many offspring. But on our side, it's just my parents, their two girls and two boys, and a few grandkids now. Stella just had the one child before she lost her man, and she never remarried. Matty has none – that we know of anyway. And my little sister Bridget gave birth six times but only three are still alive. And of course there's me with my two bundles of joy, and unlikely to get more."

"Why would you think like that ? You're still young enough to remarry and father more children."

"Funny you'd say that, I was just thinking about it a few days ago. But no, even if I did get to remarry, it wouldn't be to have more children."

Steve feels his throat closing and his breath shortening as they look at each other and there's a lot of untranslatable feelings going from one to the other and vice versa.

Danny's the first to look away.

"What about you ?" he asks. "Any family ?"

Steve clears his throat and sips a bit of tea before answering.

"Not really. My mother disappeared many years ago, we never found out what happened to her. My father was killed years later, because of me and my rebellion, by a man named Wo Fat, the very person I was fighting against, and I sent my sister away to make sure she wouldn't be harmed in any way. My dad's big sister is still alive, but I keep away from her for the same reasons."

"Man, that's terrible. I'm sorry I brought so many bad memories back !"

"You couldn't know."

"Were you still in touch with your sister ? Through letters I mean, before you were arrested ?"

"Not really, the McGarretts are notoriously bad at that kind of thing, and Mary Ann's no better than me. Plus she was mad with me for sending her away, and I guess she never quite got over it."

"I can sort of understand her, to be honest. You want to be with the people you love, even through dire or dangerous times."

"I get it, but I couldn't handle fighting and being worried for her at the same time. She's my little sister, I have to take care of her."

"You never thought about putting an end to the rebellion, then ?"

"I was fighting for the people of Oahu, and Wo Fat's oppression got worse as he became more powerful. We weren't any kind of regular army, not like you, but the sense of our duty to the people and to our comrades in arms wasn't any less. I'm sure you get that too. As long as you are needed, you fight. Or you die trying."

Steve doesn't need to add 'or you get arrested and tortured for your beliefs,' he can read on Danny's face that the thought is here, clear for him too.

He gets tired suddenly and lets his eyes close of their own volition. He doesn't want to dwell on the terrible things that were done to him since he was captured, not even on the many dreams he's already had about the life he could live with Danny by his side, in a world where they wouldn't be enemies.

He hears Danny moving and feels his hands tighten the quilt around his chest to make sure he doesn't get sicker.

"Take a nap, Steve," Danny murmurs, "we'll eat here when you wake up."

\-------------

"How are you, General ?"

"Williams ! About time you show up ! Those guards of yours are incompetent nincompoops."

"No, they're not, General. And you know what else they're not ? At your beck and call, that's what."

Danny takes a seat in front of the prisoner.

"You seem in a combative mood today, General Hirsch."

"I've been asking for paper, ink and feather, to register my memories for the ages, but your men refused to accomplish even such a small task."

"That would be because the last time we gave you a feather you used it to attack a guard, hence my order that you're not to be trusted. And you only have yourself to blame for it."

It amuses and stupefies Danny in equal measure that the great general of their worst enemy's army is such a weird guy – a halfwit, his grandma Williams would have said. And that he got to babysit himself the man that he also captured, thus ending the last battle of the war. He's heard people saying Hirsch's quirks and physical aspect explain why Danny was able to arrest him, not so subtly implying that he'd have been unable to take on a bigger, more dangerous man. That's not something he's ever going to prove wrong or right, so he does his best to let it go and be proud of his actions. Not easy on the best day, not for someone like him who spends his life doubting himself and everything.

But he knows his job and doesn't doubt himself much at times like this.

"Sorry, General, but the world will have to go on without your masterpiece. You can still tell me whatever you'd have written."

Danny's been remiss in his duty. Steven's taken a lot of his time, and yet he loves making rounds and being with his other inmates. If he has to be really honest, some wear his patience thin – General Hirsch is a premium example – but he enjoys talking with many others, be it about their lives, their families and children, trying to imagine with them a future in which they wouldn't have to rob or kill to make a living, where their family could happily lean on them and make them feel proud of their achievements. After the few years he's spent here, he himself is proud to say that he helped a few of them get a better life once they were out. He knows because he keeps tabs on them, and some who live close by even visit him once in a while, when they feel they need a good, straight talk to remain in the path of honesty. He supposes they see him as some kind of priest, barring the religious mumbo jumbo that didn't do squat for them so far.

There's nothing he'd like more than be able to do the same for Steve, but sadly the man will probably spend the rest of his life in jail, whether in this fort or another one. But when it comes to the king's law, anything's possible, Danny guesses. So maybe Steve will get to live a real life again someday, and Danny only hopes that he will be able to spend it with him. In the meanwhile, he's doing what he can to ensure that Steve's life in prison is not a true tale of horror and insanity.

If he had thought that taking him to see the sky would have done such a good job of making him look happy, Danny would have bent the rules much sooner. Having Steven here, so close he could touch him if he leaned just a little bit, is not conducive to getting much work done, and he's got so many reports to write. But try as he might, he can't muster any regret about it.

\-------------

Steve finds himself alone with Duke one day while he's still recovering and feels there's no better time to question him about Nahele's father and the reason for his relocation.

"Nahele told me you and him came up here in Jersey to escort his father from Haweila ?"

"That's right. What about it ?"

"I can't help thinking there're similitudes between what happened to the both of us at different times. Can you tell me more about the man ?"

"Sure. Kaili Huikala was a murderer, a real bad guy, and I've always wondered how he could have such a good son."

"I guess you and the warden are no stranger to raising Nahele well."

"We helped, right, but the fertile ground was all him."

"So do you know why Huikala was sent here ?"

"No."

"And you have no theory ? No inkling ?"

"Just one hypothesis, and no way to verify it, that Huikala somehow angered the governor who wanted him as far as possible from the province."

"Nahele said his father sent letters to the governor and that you got to write them for him ? Do you remember what he was talking about ?"

"Nothing significant. That's the thing I remember most, that his letters were quite boring and uninteresting. He kept talking about his wife, or so I thought, because the wording was strange, talking about his woman, instead of using the word wife. My woman this, and my woman that… Woman every ten words, asking the governor for advice about the best way to tell something to his woman, or confess some minor misdoing."

That's it, that's the proof that Kaili Huikala knew about the governor's true gender, and that he had tried to blackmail her, asking for money or to be relocated. Maybe even freed.

"Did he have enemies in Haweila ?"

Duke snorts.

"Just about half the prison, guards included."

"Could it be possible the governor sent him here in Jersey to protect him, and not to get rid of him ?"

"Everything's possible, Steven. But I'm just a simple sergeant. Governors and wardens, they give me orders. They don't explain to me why they want something done a certain way."

"Right, but if you wrote Huikala's letters, sure you had to read him the governor's replies ?"

"Governor Jameson never replied. And before you ask, I wasn't surprised he didn't. Huikala was a troublemaker and Jameson was best ignoring him. Who knows, maybe he never even got his letters. Maybe one of his assistants read them and threw them to the fire when he realized there was nothing of interest in them, just a prisoner's flights of fancy."

"But the order to send him here, was it Jameson who issued it ?"

"I think. I had seen his handwriting sending previous orders – unless it was once again the one of his assistants, but it looked the same anyway."

"Was there anything special about these orders ?"

"What do you mean ?"

"I don't know. His relocation might have been a secret ? Was he masked ? Was he kept apart from other inmates ?"

"None of that. Transfers that far are pretty rare, that's the most intriguing thing about it. And a good guard knows to keep his mouth shut."

As if those words remind him of his own responsibilities, Duke stands up from the bench he's been sitting on to talk with Steve while waiting for him to finish his meal.

"Are you done ? I have other duties to attend to."

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, Duke, for everything."

"No worries."

Duke takes the tray and goes to leave. He knocks on the door, waiting for the closest guard to come open it. But just before he leaves, he turns towards Steve again.

"Look, why don't you ask the warden ? If anyone knows more about all this, it's him. I don't know what you're searching for, but Williams might have looked into it, seeing that it was about Nahele's father and you know how protective he gets."

\-------------

Finding a way to ask Danny about Kaili Huikala that will not get him in return many questions he doesn't want to answer is not easy. He trusts Danny more than anyone he's met in prison, but he can't tell him what he knows about Jameson. If only because it would put him in danger too.

He's definitely sure now that Huikala indeed knew about Jameson. But the question about why he was himself masked and thrown in a locked cell to be forgotten, while Huikala wasn't, still remains. It can't just be because Steve was accused of Jameson's murder. If he's right in his assumptions – and he's sure he is – Wo Fat knew perfectly who the real killer was. So maybe he wanted to make sure Steve couldn't accuse him in front of too many people.

But he doesn't believe in this theory either. If Wo Fat had wanted to keep him silent, the easiest solution was to have him killed. Simple and definitive. So easy to be done in the depth of a prison you control. He could even let Steve talk at large and have him executed, once promoted governor, for spreading insults and seditious libels against the province's government, and no one would have looked into it, for Wo Fat would have been within his rights to stifle the rebellion.

The same thoughts turn in his head, again and again, and still he can't quite come up with a good reason to ask Danny. Unless it's bath time and Steve manages to turn Danny on so much that he'll let his guard down. It's worth a try.

So he asks Danny for a haircut, just a bit of trimming really, one inch off the length of it in the back, to keep it all tidy. He knows Danny loves his hair from the way he combs it every day, lovingly, gently.

Danny says they'll wait for Steve to be totally healthy again, so that having his hair wet for a while won't get him sicker. He also wants Steve dressed for the haircut at first, to keep him warm, but it doesn't work with Steve's plan, so Steve makes him see reason : the clothes will get soaked, and then tiny, itching hair will get in. Danny has to agree and he undresses him before he gets to the task of wetting his hair and cutting it.

If Steve's honest, he might have been a bit vain at times in his life. He's always known he looked good to those around him, and he used it when nothing else could get him what he needed. He never had to sleep with anyone but he never minded taking off his shirt and showing off either, flexing a muscle or two, bending down at the right moment in front of the right person...

Since Danny made sure he would eat normally, Steve's well on his way to his former silhouette. He doesn't look famished anymore, and he's building his musculature back up with the few exercises he can do, chained in his small cell, mostly pushups and stretching. It's a slow process, but Steve will get there, he's sure of it, Hesse's setbacks notwithstanding.

So he uses his old tricks, posing for Danny's eyes' pleasure, flexing biceps and pecs in a more or less natural way until he's sure he's caught his attention.

"Are you having a tic or something ?"

Okay, not the reaction he was looking for, but Danny is contrary like this, so Steve doesn't let it stop him.

"No, just exercising, making sure I don't get cold."

"Right…"

Danny finishes cutting his hair and goes on with the combing. Just like every day, Steve wants to purr like a cat. This is the moment he looks forward to every morning. No one ever did this to him, part grooming and part petting. And a lot of affectionate care. Not even his mother, who Steven loved with the fierceness of a child's love for the one he depends on, but wasn't in any way what one would call motherly. She had other things to do, like administrating the estate while his father explored the peninsulas with his good friend Joe White, one in search of new plants and the other new weapons.

Steve lets go of his memories in favor of the ministrations that never last long enough. Was their positions reversed, Steve would order Danny to comb his hair and massage his skull for at least one hour. Maybe two. Three on Sundays.

"We're done, you hedonist. But I have a gift for you."

"A gift ? What is it ?"

"Nothing much, don’t get all excited on me."

Danny goes rummaging into the basket he brings every morning for Steve's toilette and then comes back to him.

"Here," he says, showing a deep blue velvet ribbon. "I found it at the market, back in Newark. Don't ask me why, but it made me think of you. I forgot about it before, because you were so sick, but I guess now is a good time to give it to you."

Steve's bad cold is back with a vengeance suddenly, tight throat and stinging eyes. Danny's right, it's nothing much, but he bought it with Steve in mind. He bought it _for_ Steve.

"Put it on me," he says. "Same knot as you."

"Yes, my lord, as you wish."

Danny mocks him but he does as Steve asked, going behind him once more to attach his still damp hair. He wishes he could see how he looks but Danny's comment – "Perfect !" – will have to suffice. There're no mirrors in prison cells, and maybe it's for the best, usually. But he'd like to see his face as he feels owned somehow, as if Danny has put his mark on him, the knot now holding his hair far more powerful than any chain that has ever bound Steve.

Danny is back in front of him, adjusting a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Yes, perfect," he repeats, satisfied with his work.

There's no power in this world who could stop Steve from leaning down right this moment to meet Danny's lips with his own. No king who would be able to catch his hands as they cup Danny's face to angle it the right way when Steve slides his tongue into Danny's mouth. No governor who would condemn him for pushing Danny against the nearest wall and stealing his breath with the most intense kiss Steve's ever shared.

And Danny melts against him, squeezes his body closer with his arms around his waist, opens wide to meet Steve's tongue stroke for stroke. They're both on fire and Steve moans, alighted by a desire he hasn't felt in more than two years.

The kiss ends naturally, and they're both breathing hard. He wants more, he wants everything. Wants to be Danny's.

"Steven," Danny sighs, holding up a hand he puts against Steve's mouth to stop a new kiss. "We can't. _I_ can't do this to you. You're my prisoner, it wouldn't be fair."

"But I want to."

"Still. I forbid my guards to sleep with the inmates, there's no way I can't set another rule for myself. I'm sorry."

Danny turns away, grabbing the washcloth he needs to resume his task. It's awkward and silent, both aware of the need they're trying to ignore, like a fire burning the room around them that they stubbornly think will extinguish itself, and Steve being half-hard the whole time doesn't help any.

Oh well ! Never mind the information he was looking for. He's not going anywhere, there will be other opportunities to finagle what he needs out of Danny.

And he's got more pressing matters to see to. Like seducing a warden playing hard to get.

\-------------

"How did that happen ?" Danny asks, eyeing the sad remains of Steve's bed.

"I have no idea. All I know is that I was sleeping peacefully and I was suddenly thrown down, as if Duclair had pushed me down once more."

Danny bristles at the mention of Duclair. He can't stand the man, and it's only because he's got protection in the city council that Danny can't get rid of him. And the bailiff would make quite a fuss over his dismissal.

Still, he's not sure if Duclair's propensity for violence has helped with the bed's demise or if Steve played a bigger part in it than he wants to admit. Ever since they kissed, he's been acting weird, seductive and languid. And Danny knows himself well enough to realize he's close to giving in. So close.

"Okay," he sighs. "I'll take you to my office while I have someone fix this."

Which is easier said than done. The joiner he sent for wasn't here, so one of his guards tries his best. But as soon as Steve lies down on the bench to try it, the whole thing gives way again. So Danny resigns himself. Steve will sleep in his room tonight. On the bed, so that Danny can cuff him to the headboard, and Danny himself will spend the night in the office, in the big chair by the fire.

It's a good plan, a solid one, that Steve utterly destroys in less than one hour.

Danny has just managed to find a good enough position in his too-hard chair when Steve's voice reaches him from the bedroom, asking for a glass of water. When he gets there and waits for Steve to drink, the shadows and lights of the oil lamp keep drawing his gaze to the nipple showing where Steve's shirt has conveniently slid off.

Try to sleep after that.

So Danny lights the oil lamp again and chooses a book, but this tiny nipple of doom keeps dancing in front of his mind, and he feels himself getting hard, if only a little.

That's when Steve calls him again, and isn't Steve's voice a turn-on all by itself…

Danny stands up and walks to his bedroom again, keeping the lamp in front of his groin to try and prevent Steve from seeing the effect he has on him.

"What is it ?" he asks as he enters the room, keeping his tone patient as he would with his kids when they force him out of a warm bed and a good dream.

"I'm cold," Steve answers.

No wonder he is. The heavy comforter is down on the floor, and Steve is almost naked.

Gone are the breeches he was wearing when Danny put him to bed, and if he still wears his shirt, that's because the chains prevented him from taking it off past his wrists.

Danny should go back to his too-hard chair and his book. He should close the door and pretend he's unaffected. But his feet take him to the bed, and the chains are long enough that Steve can get his hand on Danny's hard-on.

"Want my help with this ?" he offers with a sultry smile, spreading his own legs even more to make his intentions clear, and Danny's sure in this instant that Steve's a siren, one of these supernatural beings his grandma was warning him about when he was a naïve kid, the kind of creature created to test a man's mettle.

And Danny's failing the test. He just wants to dive in, plunge to his death if it has to go that way, but he'll die happy if he had Steve once.

So he leans down, shoving the lamp on the table without looking where it lands exactly, and takes Steve's mouth. His hands find Steve's nipples and rough them up a bit, until he can hear Steve moan and feel him arch towards him.

They kiss passionately, tongues wrapped around each other. Steve keeps kneading his hard-on to make it harder still, to make sure Danny won't be able to resist him this time.

The thing is, Danny doesn't want to resist. In this moment, the voice of reason is impossible to hear over the sound of the blood rushing in his veins and Steve's dirty moans and pleas for more.

Danny gives him more, abandons his mouth for a moment in search of skin to devour, kisses him everywhere he can reach. Steve writhes under him, hard-on proving he's not faking it.

He kisses him once more before he gets on his knees to take Steve's cuff off. He knows it's a risk but, in this moment, he doesn't care at all.

"Leave the ties," Steve orders, already wrecked.

"What ?" Danny asks.

He doesn’t think he heard right, but Steve repeats the command, there’s no other way to put it.

"Leave the ties, and do with me as you will."

"Is that a fantasy of yours we’re playing here ? Or do you believe it will make me hot ?"

"A new fantasy of mine, it seems. C’mon, you know you want it."

Yes, he does, very much. And if Steve is on board with this, then they can play together.

Steve is very much on board, and he leans up enough to get his mouth over Danny's cock, still covered with his clothes.

"You should get naked," Steve advises, but his mouth doesn't let go, and Danny bites his lip to avoid losing it here and now.

"No," he answers, hands in Steve's hair, "I don't think I will. If we're playing prisoner and guard, then you're mine to enjoy, not the other way around."

There's fire in Steve's eyes, the proof that Danny's words made him that much hornier.

"You're mine to admire and play with. Mine to seduce and fuck."

He bites Steve's neck and the reaction is immediate, Steve's whole body arching towards him. Danny feels his last doubt falling away in the face of Steve's need and passion. So he decides to let his own loose and see where it leads them.

Steve is so responsive, it's a joy to caress him and see how much he enjoys his touch. He begs for more with half words and arousing moans when Danny insists on licking and biting his pretty nipples for long minutes, taking him to new heights of lust.

He hopes he's mistaken when he feels that Steve is surprised to be given so much pleasure, to become the center of Danny's attention, and it makes him all the more determined to get at least two orgasms out of him, just to begin with. With his mouth, first, and then his cock. He won't forget his fingers either, they'll take a big part playing Steve's body like a musical instrument. Danny intends to study hard, to learn how to make this beautiful man crazy with pleasure, and do it so well that he'll graduate summa cum laude, top and only student of this class.

He turns Steve around to get a better look at the gorgeous ass he's dreamed of so often. He tried to be good, to not really look every time they were in Steve's restroom to wash him up, but he's only a man. A man in love, and Danny never does anything by half. He needs Steve, wants him in so many ways he hesitates now that everything is on offer. He's not sure where to begin, what marvel to discover first.

He leans down and takes another bite. Steve's right ass cheek calls to him first, closely followed by the left one. He tastes so good that Danny can't help taking a few more bites and licks before going forward, down along his crack, straight to the small opening he covets. He spends a long time making Steve crazy with lust and need, waiting until his lover begs Danny to take him before he moves up and aligns his cock with Steve's anus that he breaches in one smooth slide.

It's tight and warm, and he doesn't want to leave this particular heaven, but his body is on fire and needs to move. So Danny retreats for a second, and the feeling isn't that bad, not when his cock is stroked all around by the velvet vice sheathing him. All thoughts of taking it slow vanish as he keeps on repeating those two basics moves for their mutual pleasure. His hands keep looking for any place on Steve's body to make him all afire, finally landing on his cock that he strips with just as much energy as he uses to fuck him.

It's not long before Steve spills his semen on the bed below him, begging Danny to come with him. And Danny does, because he's already such a fool that he would go to the end of the world for this man, let alone make love to him any way he wants.

Danny's wiped out and he lets himself fall on Steve's back. They stay like that for a few minutes but Steve inevitably grumbles and dislodges him after a while so Danny relocates, lying next to Steve to take in the sight of his beautiful lover.

He watches Steve, gorgeous Steve, the stars in his eyes that can't be fake, the happy smile he put there just by loving him. He doesn't know how many men have taken from him what Steve willingly shared tonight with Danny and beyond the anger he feels about that, he's kind of happy Steve didn't let his memories ruin their lovemaking.

"Someday, I'm gonna make love to you with your mask on," Danny whispers against Steve's lips.

"You'd like that, would you ?"

"Oh yeah, very much. Your mask, and nothing else."

"If we go there, then another time I want you to blindfold me. I want to rely only on your touch, your scent, Danny. The feeling of your tongue on me, wherever you decide."

Danny wishes he were a younger man just so they could do it right now. Instead, he keeps kissing Steve, until he really hears what Steve said.

"You called me Danny."

For all Steve has pushed him and used many variations of his titles and names, it's the first time he's called him Danny. He feels like he could choke.

"Yeah, I did," Steve answers with a grin. "You've been Danny for me for a long while. And I'm not calling you warden when we're having sex. Unless you ask for it, but you'll have to be very persuasive," he adds with another kiss.

The kiss lasts for a while, and it's just as good as any other kiss they've shared.

"You're incorrigible," Danny finally says when Steve lies back down next to him.

"Be glad I didn’t call you Danno," Steve smirks.

Danny's head comes up.

"How do you... ?"

Understanding dawns on Danny’s face.

"Nahele speaks too much."


	2. Chapter 2

Steve spends most nights in Danny's bedroom from then on, unless Danny has to go into town for a dinner or a reception he'd very much like to avoid but his sense of duty says he can't.

Steve's sensuality for him shouldn't be a surprise, but clearly it is. It's like Danny can't quite understand why Steve would want him, what he sees in him. Doesn't understand the mutual physical attraction Steve proves to him every night, not any more than the way the bright shining of his soul lures him always closer. Steve can spend a long time watching him work. He used to be hyperactive too, and it was probably the biggest challenge he faced in prison when forced to learn to do nothing with his days, but taking in Danny's motion as he goes around and about fills a bit of that part in him that demands action and never gets old. From his surprisingly muscled torso to his unending compassion, Danny is nothing short of beautiful to his eyes.

When asked, Steve swore on his honor that he wouldn't try to leave or attack him, right before Danny took off the chains, but the truth is that Steve wouldn't anyway. He just can't stand the idea of putting Danny's life in danger if the governor of Hawaii learned he'd lost his prisoner. He doesn't quite understand himself how he came to this, but it's a feeling he has to acknowledge. Danny's life now comes before his own.

"Any idea about what you'd like to eat in the next few days ?" Danny interrupts his musing.

"Still trying to fatten me up, Danny ? I thought you loved me the way I am"

"I do, I really do, but I thought you'd be happy to choose for once. See if I ask again, you ungrateful schmuck."

Steve laughs, and it still feels strange to him, this feeling of amusement and happiness while he's still locked away from the world. He takes Danny in his arms and kisses him lightly.

"I had a cook among my friends before, a huge guy. Made us look like dwarves."

"Us ? You mean me, don't you, McGarrett ?"

Steve smiles some more.

"Anyway, you'd like him. His name's Kamekona. He loves to cook shrimps most of all, any way he can. Spice, garlic, you name it, he's done it."

"Yeah ?"

"Best shrimps I've ever eaten," he nods. "Pretty sure even you couldn't get them to taste that good."

"Is this a dare ? If it is, it will be difficult for me to answer it, since there's no freshwater species of shrimps around Hohokus. It'd cost a pretty penny to get shrimps here, this far inland."

Steve sends him a mocking glare.

"Seems like someone's afraid of competition… You're just scared I'll like Kamekona's shrimps better."

"Says the man who likes butter in his tea. Because clearly you have such good taste that I should measure my cooking to your high standards. You know what ? You must be right, McGarrett, I'm quivering in my boots."

Steve takes a good look at him, filling his eyes with the body he loves so much.

"No, you're not. Not yet, but I plan to make you soon."

He leans down for another kiss, and this time he doesn't let go until Danny pushes him towards the bedroom, meal plans forgotten.

\-------------

For the first time since he was appointed warden at Hohokus, Danny doesn't count the days until his next week home. The letters his kids send him, weekly at least, are not the only highlight of his life anymore, and the fact that he shares some of them with Steve seems to please him to no end. Which, in return, pleases Danny just as much.

When he does get home this time, it doesn't feel like he can breathe again.

This thing between Steve and him, it's still too new, too perfect, and he misses it too much. Danny doesn't understand how he can feel both so happy to be here and so lost that he's not still in his prison with the man he… cares for.

Only his children make him smile. There's two gaps between Gracie's teeth. For his part, Charlie's got only one, but he likes to show it at every opportunity and prove to those who stand witness that he's getting older. Danny will soon have to make sure that the tooth fairy rewards the kids, and that both are evenly gifted.

"Do you think if I asked the tooth fairy for a trip to Hawaii she would grant me my wish ?" Gracie asks.

Danny coughs and laughs at the same time.

"That might be a little bit out of her pay grade, monkey, but sure, go on. There's no hurt in asking."

He'd very much like a tooth fairy of his own to bring them all, Steve included, down to Hawaii. One very apt tooth fairy able to shut down the rest of the world and create this bubble of happiness in which they could live, the four of them, for the rest of eternity.

He wonders if Steve feels the same, or if Danny is just a mean to pass time while he's stuck in prison, dreaming every night of his land, his friends, the lovers he might have left behind, and the righteous fight that used to fill his life.

\-------------

The bailiff and his men don't wait or try for any dumb excuse when they enter his cell this time. Duclair and Anton get him to stand up and have him naked in less than two very efficient minutes. He already had a hard time getting back into his chains when Danny brought him back to his little room without windows ; being manhandled by those three is even worse after Danny's tender care.

"I know the warden told you I was not to be left naked for any length of time," Steve protests.

"Did he now ? Well, he'll be happy to know that you kept your mask on at all times."

Duclair snorts while Anton outright laughs. They think themselves to be so funny. So witty.

They also seem to think the humiliation could kill him. They're so far from the mark.

It's unpleasant, of course, but he's too used to it to linger on the feeling once they're done. What really hurts is Danny's absence. These past weeks with him have been the closest thing to bliss Steve ever got to experience, even before prison. He realizes he's never really cared for anyone, not that much, not like that, and to find that special person in a prison is just so ridiculous… but it's true, and Steve can't help feeling abandoned in Danny's absence.

"So Steven, I hear you and the warden have become awfully chummy..." Hesse begins as he covers his right hand with one of Danny's washcloths.

The bailiff has picked up on his faraway stare, probably. Steve tends to do that a lot these days, losing big chunks of time to stupid fantasies starring his lover, which is as well in the end since no one is allowed to come and talk with him when Danny, Duke and Nahele aren't here. Save for the present company, of course.

"Yeah ? And what is it to you, bailiff ?"

"Well, seeing as my job is to replace our friendly warden in all tasks in his absence, I want to make sure you won’t feel deprived on that front while he basks in his family’s love, abandoning you here all alone, forlorn and sexually frustrated."

Hesse doesn’t wait for Steve’s answer, he reaches for Steve’s naked groin. Steve tries to scoot backwards but the wall is there to keep him in place, and the chains to keep him tied, unable to defend himself against the unwanted and offensive attention.

Although this is not the first time he’s been sexually assaulted since he was locked inside a prison, anonymous victim any of his guards could use at will, he finds this one to be the most terrible at this point. The other guys pretty much all wanted only sexual gratification, and a mere blowjob usually did the trick.

But here and now, not only does he hate Hesse for what he’s doing to him, touching without interest, just for humiliation's sake, and because he guesses at the real nature of Steve’s relationship with the warden ; he’s in love with Danny, feelings he’s never known before, and he wants no one else anymore. Wants Danny to be able to say that Steve has been faithful to him all along.

So he fights as much as he can, landing a few punches that lack real power since he's restrained, and he yells. It seems to encourage Hesse even more, happy to see how much Steve hates this situation, happy to inflict something Steve doesn’t want, rubbing his dick until he's hard, pushing his gloved fingers in his ass until he comes, all of it without going against any of Danny’s direct orders since he can say he's just been doing Steve's toilette.

Anton and Duclair laugh their stupid heads off, rattle his chains in every sense of the words, and slap his ass a few times for good measure. To show him he can't escape. He's at their mercy, and he'd do well to remember it.

But Steve is nothing if not stubborn, so he keeps fighting them off.

\-------------

Danny's gaze is lost in the river. Luckily, Eric's here to watch the kid, because his mind keeps circling back to the same topic. It's annoying and distracting, but he just can't help himself. The water made him wonder if Steve can swim. Through their many conversations, he gathered the McGarrett family house faces the ocean, which makes it likely that Steve learned swimming, maybe at the same time he began walking. And Danny thinks this is something he'd like to see, Steve's gorgeous body moving through the water, powerful, slick as a shark.

Charlie shrieks and wakes him up from his reverie when Eric leans and Danny watches his son falling from where he was sitting on his cousin's shoulders down in the water.

Danny tries to focus back on his own family. He had a hard time teaching Eric how to swim. The kid was scared witless at first, knowing the water had claimed his father's life just a few months after his birth. But Danny worked on him as subtly as he could, swimming while Eric kept to the shore to let him see how nice it was, playing with Grace and teaching her in front of him, until Eric was old enough to be confronted with his mates' judgmental barbs. For once, the bullies proved helpful, pushing Eric to learn so that they wouldn't be able to call him chicken anymore.

Stella was not happy with Danny when she heard that Eric had learned how to swim, and how much he now loved it. Danny could relate of course, one of his best friends had died in the ocean when he was a kid. But he didn't want Eric to drown if he ever fell in a river, the same way Eric's father had died, or being incapable of saving another life if he ever witnessed someone else falling.

Danny himself certainly doesn't swim any more than he has to, keeps far away from the ocean, but he's glad to know he can save a life, and he thinks Eric, for all he's still acting like a kid most of the time, would be proud too if he saved someone.

"Use your legs too, Charlie," Eric instructs, "not just your arms."

Compared to Eric, teaching Grace and Charlie is easy as pie. Charlie looks like a crazy tadpole and Danny is hard pressed not to laugh constantly. He doesn't want him to feel self-conscious instead of having fun.

The lesson is short, anyway. It's only the middle of May, and the weather still proves capricious, the water still cold. Might be a good idea to make sure the kids don't get sick.

"Who wants to play hide-and-go-seek ?" Danny asks with more enthusiasm than he feels.

"Me, me !" Grace and Charlie yell, delighted, and truly, their happiness is all that matters.

Danny is designed as the one who will have to seek the hidden players. Of course, he voluntarily misses hands and feet that stick out from trees, investigates as slowly as possible without getting too conspicuous, veers between the wrong bushes, loudly announces that he's seen something, all to let the children win more often than not.

The game has them all running through the woods until they meet a party of original settlers. Danny knows most of them, they helped him more than once when he and Rachel settled here, and he knows they keep an eye on his family when he's away, making sure no one is able to hurt them.

"I'm sorry if the kids' shouts ruined your hunt," Danny apologizes to the ones he knows best when they stay behind for a short conversation.

He's pretty sure that's exactly what happened, but there's no hard feelings. Not with people who believe in letting their children grow naturally, at their leisure.

Instead, his friends Yamada and Kuroda invite them to come and share their meal before Danny has to return to the fort.

Danny wonders if people are as hospitable, down in the south.

\-------------

Every day means the same amount of humiliation and provocation from the Hesse boys and Duclair.

But once they tire of their game, the bailiff lets Steve know, in his usual convoluted way, about the decision he probably made days ago, waiting for his next bout at commanding Fort Hohokus.

"Did you see this monster of a rat, boys ?" he asks his men, vaguely looking at some corner of Steve's room.

Anton and Duclair nod.

"Not the first one I've seen, to be honest," Anton adds. "This cell is a garbage dump."

Steve wonders where they're going with this. There was no rat, and the cell is clean, Danny's always made sure of it, so this is a ploy, but to what effect ?

"You're right, little brother. I think it's time for a little spring cleaning. I'll get two guards on it, take the prisoner out."

"You can't do this," Steve tries, "I'm not supposed to be taken outside of this cell without the warden's approval and no else can see me."

He doesn't care much about being seen, but he doesn't want to get Danny into trouble, and most of all, he's not sure where the men will take him, if this a way to get him out of the fort and kill him or leave him to die, somewhere Danny will never find, not before it's far too late.

But he's no match. Duclair tightens his chains – he even takes off the leather padding added by Danny, right after Steve arrived, to protect his scarred skin – and drags him out while Anton pushes him from behind. Steve stumbles but manages not to fall down, not even as they keep playing the same game along deserted corridors lit up by torches only. Steve just knows the one leading from his cell to Danny's apartment, which has a window, and he never really paid attention to the décor anyway. But this corridor is definitely creepy, dark and suffocating, which is probably why Hesse chose to bring him here.

Steve is brought to a halt in front of a door that looks a lot like the one closing his own cell. Duclair takes the key out of his pocket and unlocks it, opening wide for Steve to get in. There's another man sitting on a bench. Steve stops right there and turns towards his guards.

"You can't leave me here," he tries again, "not with another prisoner".

"Nonsense !" the bailiff sweeps his concern aside with a gentle gesture of his hand. "Steven, meet Rick Peterson. A long time ago, your fellow inmate used to be in the same regiment as the warden, up until the day Williams had him arrested for violence and smuggling, and thus sent to this jail for the next twenty years. When we told him about you, Peterson said he was eager to meet a friend of Williams'."

The other prisoner stands up and his smile is anything but pleasant.

"Yeah," he approves, "because you know, as friends of the tipstaff, I'm sure we could give each other… a hand."

Steve sees the trap closing around him and there's nothing he can do. Duclair forces him to sit on the bench and links his chains to the hooks screwed to the wall and ground. Then the three guards retreat into the corridor and close the door behind them, leaving him alone with Peterson.

\-------------

There's no cookbook in the Newark – admittedly not very well well-stocked – library. It was created less than two years ago and lives on donations that have nothing to do with cooking so far. So Danny's got only one other source to interview, which is why he brings his children to his parents' and asks his mother for a recipe for garlic shrimps.

Steve issued him a dare he intends to win.

Of course, his mother wants to know why he's suddenly so hellbent on cooking shrimps, and why this particular recipe. But Danny's been in the army, he survived the siege of Fort Mahe, he keeps murderers in line on a daily basis ; he's not about to crumble in front of his mother.

"He wants to make Steven a nice meal from Hawaii," Grace answers in his place.

Who needs enemies when they have kids ?!

"Really ?" Clara wonders. "And who is, pray tell, this Steven ?"

"One of his prisoners," Charlie provides.

Danny rolls his eyes. Absolutely nothing will stay secret with those two. But concern has now replaced playfulness over his mother's face, and he feels his father staring at him too. Explanations are in order.

"Don't worry, you two. Grace is right, one of my inmates is from Hawaii and we got to talk. He described those garlic shrimps as the food of gods and now I really wanna try them, is all."

The thing is, his parents know all too well that Danny has a soft core and that he loves fiercely. On the other hand, they don't know Steve and must be imagining all kinds of terrible reasons for his being in prison. And Danny is not allowed to set them straight.

But he should have known his mother wouldn't stop at that. She orders him to come help and Danny has to follow her to the other end of the room where she prepares all her food. She sits him at the table to peel potatoes and takes another knife to deal with the mushrooms. She first lulls Danny to a deceitful sense of safety by sharing a simple recipe for his garlic shrimps but then soon gets back to the topic that holds more interest to her in the moment.

"So," she begins in a false detached way, "what did this Steven do to land in prison ?"

"Sorry, Ma, you know I can't talk about that. That's private information."

"Right. But I guess you wouldn't appreciate him if he had committed a violent crime. He has to be there for a small offense, maybe just a misunderstanding, so this means he won't stay long in prison. Right ?"

"Ma, what part of 'I can't talk about that' do you not understand ?"

"The part where a good son has to answer his mother's questions ?"

"You know, there's a very easy way for you to get your answer. Enlist in the army, petition the king or the Hohokus council to get my job, and then you'll get to read all my files."

"Mocking your mother doesn't become you, Daniel."

Danny rolls his eyes. He's saved from having to reply by the arrival of his sisters and their offspring. Clara doesn't get another chance to question him alone so she throws him to the wolves, aka Stella and Bridget, telling them their brother has a new love interest but doesn't want to tell them about him. For the next hour, Danny suffers a bullet list style retelling of all the crushes of his youth from his sisters' point of view. It's all heavily edited for children's ears, but also to make fun of him.

Once they're done and move on to the subject of his current affections, Danny decides it's more than time to get back home. It's getting late, which means the streets won't be safe, and the kids need to sleep.

Clara launches a last offensive in the form of his father who operates under the strict instruction of gathering information as they hug to say goodbye. But his father knows better.

"Be careful, Danny," Eddie says, "that's all I ask."

Later, as he's tucking Grace in bed, Danny still wonders how transparent he is that his parents immediately recognized the bond he shares with Steve.

"We had a good night, Danno, don't you think ?" Gracie says.

"Yes, monkey, the best night. Now sleep. We have tons of things to do tomorrow."

He blows on the lamp's flame and leaves the room.

He misses Steve like a severed limb, but he's smiling anyway. There's no one he'd rather pass the time with than his fantastic family before he can go back to his lover.

\-------------

Peterson stares at Steve like a snake. A nasty one, ready to eat you alive, to crush your windpipe or drain all the air out of your body. To make you suffer for as long as possible before it kills you in the most horrible way.

"So you're Danny's latest fuck toy," Peterson finally says. "I guess I can see why, you're just his type. Taller than him, darker hair, lean and pretty. And I'm sure he's given you ample reasons to enjoy his favors…"

"What is it to you ?" he retorts, annoyed with the tone as much as the actual words.

He can't believe he's just a pastime to Danny. He can't, or he will lose more than he ever lost in Haweila.

"Nothing. Danny and I, we stopped being friendly a long time ago. That's what happens when a man rats out on another. Danny used me, and then threw me out like I was a bad habit that might endanger one's health."

"I'm curious to hear Danny's version."

"He'd probably insist that he's innocent of any wrongdoing, the poor soul. That it was all my fault, and that he couldn't help ratting on me. For the greater good, you know."

"Is it true ?"

"Of course not ! He was well aware of my doings but he let it go until the day his wife and daughter were somewhat threatened. He went straight to our superior, then, and had me arrested. I lost my own family and I've been moldering in here ever since, abandoned by everyone."

"What was it that you did ? It had to be bad if your family left you. And why did it put Rachel and Grace in danger ?"

"None of your damn business, man. Other than since I never could have my revenge on Williams, you'll make for a nice replacement."

For a man who's probably at least fifteen years older than him, and who has been in prison for a lot longer, Peterson's actions are incredibly swift. Not that Steve could have done anything to stop him anyway, tied up the way he is. Peterson pushes his body, rolling him so that he now faces down, and then slips his own legs between Steve's and the bench. Steve gets immediately where this is going, bent over the other man's lap like he's there for a good spanking. His old man doled enough of them, back when Steve was acting as an arrogant teenager thinking he knew better than anyone, but it was never meant to humiliate, not like what Peterson is doing.

The other prisoner is also quick to take Steve's breeches off and bare his ass, and the first hit lands soon after. It's harsh and unforgiving, but Steve refuses to let him know how much it hurts.

But then, he also doesn't want to let that guy get away with it. Danny left orders to ensure that he wouldn't be mistreated. Hesse might think that getting someone else to hurt him will protect him from Danny's wrath, but he's wrong, Steve's sure of it. So he yells for help, but all he gets is a nastier spanking, his ass hurting like crazy, and it's worse when Peterson tires of using his own hand and replaces it with a book.

It lasts a few more minutes, and Steve's voice is getting hoarse, but he keeps yelling for the guards to come help him. His ass cheeks are both hurting like a bitch. He won't sit down on his ass for a while, that's for sure.

When the guards finally come in, Steve can hear their chuckles as they watch Peterson disciplining him like a kid, and it goes on for at least another minute, Steve's anger rising with the lewd comments the guards offer instead of help.

And then it's over at last. Peterson stands up to admire his work while Steve futilely tries to turn, kept in this humiliating position by Duclair and baby Hesse who use a few hard slaps to get him to lie still. When he's satisfied that Steve's still pleasantly subdued, Peterson leans down to murmur in his ear.

"So, still friends with the warden, Steven ?"

Steve's only answer is to rear back with his head and all the power he can muster. The sound of Peterson's breaking nose is incredibly satisfying, as are his moans of pain.

There's a second of wavering, the guards left speechless by Steve's sudden attack, but it's quickly followed by an uproar.

"Get him up and standing !" the bailiff bellows to his men. "And follow me !" 

In a moment, Steve finds himself upright, marched outside the cell with his breeches and underwear still around his ankles and lugged around through yet more corridors. They come to a new cell, a large one, where Steve is promptly tied again, this time to the chains hanging from the cellar. Steve already knows it won't be for a respectful bath like Danny used to do at first, but rather for more of the same mistreatment he used to get on a weekly basis at Haweila.

What he didn't get at Haweila was an audience, which is apparently what Hesse was aiming for. Many prisoners are gathered, inside the cell or behind the railings that make three of its walls. They're mostly standing behind his back but some are pushed on the side and in front of him to accommodate the last ones coming in ; Steve can't see them all but he surmises there's at least thirty of them, probably more. And he hates that Hesse is perceptive enough to understand that Steve's having been flogged often means that the humiliation of an audience is far worse in his mind than the pain he's going to inflict.

"The warden will have your hide for doing this," Steve predicts, looking the bailiff straight in the eyes.

"Well, the warden isn't here and I'm the commanding officer, so deal with it."

Hesse smiles a wolfish grin and Steve can't help shivering in worry. Sure, goading him is a treat, but one he can ill afford. He worries yet a bit more when Hesse walks around him to stand behind his back. Steve is awfully conscious of the way he's displayed for everyone to see, the torches all around the room bringing more than enough light that his painfully red ass has to be the first thing the prisoners look at. Willing or not, Steve is going to be tonight's spectacle at Fort Hohokus. And it's made even clearer when Hesse, in a show of power, holds the end of Steve's shirt between his two hands to rip it apart, hanging loose on his shoulders to hide his tattoos like the domino hides his face.

A few moments later, the sound of footsteps announces the arrival of another witness to his punishment. Hesse thanks the man and Steve realizes this is Anton when he takes his place among the prisoners to get a good view of Steve from the side, able to see both the flogging and Steve's face to enjoy his suffering. Steve prays to have the strength to disappoint him.

"This man has been disrespectful and violent," Hesse begins then, addressing the other prisoners. "We are here to teach him a lesson. You will count every hit on his body, to help him remember what it costs to think you're better than those who watch over you."

Steve can't help it, he tenses before the first hit, and then deflates somehow. Hesse's not using a real flog on him, but a mere martinet.

Hesse is more subtle than Steve ever gave him credit for. It hurts, of course it does, especially on his already painful ass, but it could have been so much worse. The strands of leather on the martinet are more supple than a flog, and they won't leave a permanent mark, that's what Hesse's counting on. He will be able to tell Danny he didn't go against his order, just taught the prisoner a well-deserved lesson.

The other prisoners count the hits as ordered. Most of them look bored, a few are amused or getting off on the show, and one or two, probably new around the place, look terrified by what they see. Corporal punishment is not allowed under Danny's law, so it's still new enough for them. They are the ones who hit the harder when Hesse, after he and his men have hit Steve for a long time, has the prisoners participate in the flogging. There's a good chance the most brutal ones are afraid that the bailiff will go after them next if they don't strictly obey his orders.

In another show of Hesse's impressive master mind when it comes to doling out pain and humiliation, Peterson is the last to join the men out to punish him. He comes face to face, a mere inch of free space left between them, as if he's about to match Steve's move earlier and break his nose in return. His own is wrapped in bloody bandages and his eyes seem to throw fire at Steve.

"Time to pay for your mistakes, pretty boy," Peterson threatens him as he takes a step back.

Steve ignores the pain in his back, ass and thighs. He stands as proud as he can with his ankles bound apart and challenges Peterson with a defiant glare.

Peterson's answer comes immediately. The martinet whips the air before it lands right on Steve's shaft.

His scream of pain echoes throughout the prison, followed by many more as the martinet finds his chest and rips the flimsy protection of his shirt apart.

\-------------

Steve lost consciousness at some point and he wakes up in his own cell, dressed again in some other clothes bought for him by Danny.

The next days pass in a blur of pain and rancor. Danny said he would take care of him, that he wouldn't allow any hurt to come to him.

But Danny left him, like everybody does, and the men he abandoned him with have been able to treat him as badly as they wanted.

There's only one thing Steve can do at this point, and that's protect himself. Back up from this relationship that makes him a target while he can't defend himself. Hesse and his men leave him mostly alone in his cell after their big display, which helps in getting back to his former attitude made of silence and withdrawal into his own mind. He figured a long time ago, back in Haweila, that this was the only way to survive until… until the day he dies under someone's beating, or the king realizes he's not guilty of Jameson's murder and he's freed.

So he lies down on his bed and lets the hours go by.

The next visit he gets just reinforces his decision. The bailiff gets in his cell without Steve even realizing it in the middle of his day-long nap. The hand on his face, the fingers squeezing his jaw so hard that Steve finally opens his eyes, they belong to a man angry and scared.

"Listen to me carefully, scum. If you say anything to the warden about what happened here, I can guarantee you that our next encounter isn't gonna be pretty. Because I'll fuck you dry, in front of my men, and then I'll lend you to them, and we'll play with you until there's nothing left of your pretty ass but a saggy bottom and loads of come. And if that's not enough to make you shut up, we'll take our anger to Williams himself, and to his kids. I understand they live alone with a woman most of the time. I guess it wouldn't be much of a problem to get them out and throw them into the Mahwah River. Two little kids, in a wild river, they wouldn't last long, don't you think ?"

Steve believes him. Hesse is enough of a coward that he would take his rage out on defenseless children. And losing them would kill Danny.

"I won't say a word," Steve promises, and then he turns towards the wall and closes his eyes again.

\-------------

On the evening before he has to go back to Hohokus, Yamada pays them a visit.

"Hello, Danny. Here's today's catch for you."

They indeed arranged for this when Danny was invited for lunch in the village. There's a good chance the freshwater shrimps are not the same as the ones they catch in Hawaii, but they're big and tasty, Danny reflects as he inspects the delivery, and he hopes Steve will be happy enough and that he will give Danny points for trying.

"They look great ! Thanks, Yamada. I'll owe you one."

"Better tell me how loverboy likes 'em."

Danny looks at him without understanding, and then turns to his family to find Eric looking far too invested in the table where nothing that interesting lies to explain his rapt and sudden attention.

He really can't have a secret of his own.

All of it is forgotten as soon as he arrives back at the fort. His first instinct is to run to Steve's cell but he takes it on himself and makes sure first that nothing requires his immediate consideration and then locks himself in his apartment for a little while to prepare his dish. Maybe he should wait for the next day to present Steve his big surprise but he feels giddy like a young boy meeting with the love of his life and he wants to see Steve's face when he goes in with something to remind him of home. Something that will tell him he hopes to be able to offer him the real thing someday, together.

He doesn't bother asking Nahele or Duke to stay outside. He hasn't done it for a while, trusting Steve that he won't try to attack him and run away. He just goes in and lets the delicious scent of the garlic tickle Steve's appetite and wake him up from the nap he seems to be taking.

But Steve doesn't stir so Danny goes and sits next to him to gently shake his shoulder.

"Steve, I'm back," he says, his hand moving to caress his lover's hair, "and I've got a surprise for you."

Still no answer, but Steve's body rolls over when Danny pushes a little harder on his shoulder.

"Babe, what's wrong ?"

Steve squints and, behind the mask, his eyes are hardly visible through the small slit that's left open.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired."

"Really ? Can't you wake up just for a little moment ? I brought you a gift. Can you smell this ?"

"That's nice, Danny, but I need to sleep. I'll take a look tomorrow."

With that, Steve turns back to his previous position facing away from the room, hunched over himself.

Something is terribly wrong here, and Danny doesn't know how to find out what. Not with Steve shutting him off so completely.

He can't help touching Steve's hair again, to reassure himself as much as Steve.

"Okay," he finally says, "I'll come back tomorrow. I'm gonna leave the plate so you can eat later if you feel like it."

He hesitates a moment about blowing the lamp out or letting it burn so that Steve can have some light. It's only the end of the afternoon but the room is too dark already. If Steve really needs to sleep, the darkness won't be a problem.

"Want me to leave the light on ?" he asks softly in case Steve is actually asleep.

"Blow it out," comes the muffled answer.

"Okay," he says again. "You sure you don't want me to stay, or call a doctor ?"

"Just go and let me sleep."

There's something hard in these words that wasn't there before, and Danny feels a deep coldness enter his thoughts.

"I missed you," he can't help saying as he closes the door behind him, just to be able to ignore the fact that Steve probably didn't answer him. Didn't miss him.

He gets back to his apartment, the feeling of dread and loss clouding his every thought. Now he's not happy for sure, but he feels just as lost as he did at home. He could still be there, far from Steven, and it wouldn't seem that different after the non-exchange he just came back from.

Whatever happened during his absence, Steve clearly blames Danny for it. And so he should, if Hesse has once more taken advantage of his position to make Steve sick. Danny paces up and down like a caged lion but his questions will have to wait since Hesse and his men went out right after Danny came back.

The next day brings no clarification. The shrimps lie untouched and the smell of garlic is kind of disgusting, so Danny takes the tray outside before anything else. Steve doesn't make a move to drink the tea Danny brought. He still looks groggy, or lost maybe, his mind clearly somewhere else. Danny decides not to push him right now and goes about the daily task of washing him.

Steve lets himself be disrobed without a word, or any of those seducing jokes he enjoyed before Danny left. Danny watches him like a hawk, not only his face, but his whole body, and if he finds a redness clinging to some pretty well delineated areas, Steve refuses to comment about it and assures him it doesn't hurt.

Danny makes another desperate attempt to get him to talk, his hand splayed over Steve's heart to remind him that they share something special and that Steve can tell him everything.

"Is there more I should know, Steve ?"

"No, Warden, I’m good."

He’s sure he can't trust those words. It's not just a bout of tiredness. Something definitely feels off, Steve’s face closed, almost blank.

He trusts them so little that he begins to make plans to bring his kids to live much closer to Hohokus, so as not to have to leave the prison into Hesse's hands for any length of time. As far as he knows, the man has only humiliated Steven, but if this goes on, the probability that something will go wrong and Steve will pay the price becomes far too high for Danny to tolerate it.

\-------------

Hesse didn't have much in the way of an explanation. Save for a rat infestation, a cell to clean, and – surprise, surprise ! – Steve ending with Peterson.

If the bailiff thought he had seen the worst of Danny after his first trip back home, he's now rid of this misconception. Danny yelled at him for ten good minutes before he announced the sanction, another pay cut while Hesse and his men were immediately relieved of their duties for a month.

He's gone to tell Steve about it, but Steve's still not talking, maybe not even listening. If it were one of his kids acting that way, Danny would say they're sulking. But Steve's too grown up for this, and yet he's kept quiet and unresponsive ever since Danny returned from Newark.

Danny's also gone to pass his anger on Peterson, and a fat lot of good it did to him. Peterson goaded him by telling him all about the spanking, and the public beating. Danny got three punches in before Duke and Nahele stopped him, and then a good kick in the testicles that will leave a lasting memory, and that part was pretty satisfying. But Steve's still not talking to him and Danny's mood keeps going from hopeful Steve will work through whatever's bothering him soon to angry that he's the one paying for something others did.

So he does the only thing he knows : he keeps to himself, and stops trying to woo Steve back to better feelings.

Then he stops visiting him altogether.

He comes to think he should have known this wouldn't last. He was too happy, for one thing. But most of all, he had too many misgivings before it even started. Falling in love with an inmate is probably the stupidest thing Danny's ever done, in a life full of stupid decisions when it comes to his heart and the many ways he can get it broken.

He spends more time with the other convicts – not Peterson, who is in solitary for three months, serves him right – which is not a bad thing in the end, and his administrative tasks are not pushed aside anymore. But his evenings are terribly long and lonely, and he guesses Steve's are worse, alone in his small cell up until the next day's breakfast. He's close enough that he'd hear if Nahele or Duke visited him late at night.

Danny also goes out more, in need of fresh air, as if Steve's proximity might suck out any in the prison. He's feeling claustrophobic for the first time in his fort, walls closing in on him, so he visits the market pretty much every day. It's not easy either, because he keeps wanting to buy things for Steve, and he doesn't always manage to hold himself back.

"My sweet prince, look at all these marvels I've got for you," the huge black man lures him in a jovial tone, complete with sleeve effects as he waves his arms around to attract Danny's attention to his bric-a-brac.

Danny's not exactly sure what he's doing here, in front of this very stall. It's chaotic to say the least, different kinds of articles thrown together to create the semblance of a vending lot. He looks at it anyway, like he does all the time these days, like it might hide the answer to the most important question, how to make peace with Steve.

And then he sees the book.

\-------------

Lou's been at this market for three days already, and he's learned quite a few interesting facts about Hohokus and its prison.

Everybody insists that the warden is a good guy. That he can be a mean son of a bitch if you deceive him, but that he's also willing to help any convict who truly wants to amend his ways and turn his life around. Williams has done it a few times already and Lou went to visit all those guys, posing as an investigator working for the crown after a complaint had been made about the warden. The way the former prisoners speak in his defense, Lou begins to fervently hope that Steve has indeed been sent to Hohokus and Williams.

Ever since they got the tip that McGarrett had been taken out of Haweila, they've been searching for him all over the country. Denning did a good job hiding him, placing decoys in many prisons and just as many provinces. They've lost so much time trying to find out if this or that prisoner was Steve or not. Urged by the terrible tales they heard about the way things usually go down in a prison, the brutality and the abuse, the high mortality level, each of their failures so far have pushed them to look deeper and further. Until they arrived here in Jersey, so far from home that it feels like they won't ever manage to get back, and least of all to take McGarrett back home with them.

Markets are one of the best places to gather information, but it's also one Williams visits often, making it the best decoy for Lou to meet him without raising questions. Tani found him some stuff to sell, but it was Chin who came up with the idea of having a book about Hawaii in the middle of his hodgepodge, a first test for Williams as they try to ascertain if Steve's here or not.

Williams passes with flying colors. Or he fails, depending on the side you're on.

Lou has no problem getting him to look at his stall, and then the warden's eyes land on the book. Something lights up in his face, there's no other way to put it.

Now it could be that Williams simply loves Hawaii. But Lou has been around the block, and he's sure of himself. Steven McGarrett is locked away in the Hohokus fort, and Daniel Williams is looking after him. Caring for him, even, if his stumbling words about buying the book for a friend mean anything.

Of course, Taylor doesn't believe Lou's hunch.

"Listen, man," the temporary leader of their rebellion says when Lou reports his finding, "it's a good start, but not proof. You have to find me something more before we launch an attack upon the fort. I can't risk our friends' lives over such a little detail."

Lou would agree if he thought that Nick Taylor cared that much about their friends' lives. He's the kind of guy who thinks the end justifies the means and any cost. But still, he's right, they need better proof.

\-------------

There's only so much time a man can spend lying down, and even less hours he can occupy with sleep.

Steve's tolerance for both is usually less than any regular man's.

It takes him almost two weeks to get out of the doldrums he's been living in recently. Two weeks to realize that, not only is he letting Hesse win, he's probably lost the man he loves by now.

He hasn't seen Danny for the biggest part of those two weeks. Hasn't talked to him or heard about him. Not that he asked about him. He simply drifted, mind and body far from this world of suffering.

The pain he can take, but the feeling of abandon… he's guarded his heart for so long, and yet he's given it all to Danny. Sometimes he questions his attitude, the truth of his feelings for the man who holds his life in his hands. Is he really in love, or has he just been making sure that Danny would keep on treating him right ?

Everything takes on a different light when he gets his head out of the depressive state he's let himself slip into. There's no doubt anymore in his mind. He is in love with Danny. There's nothing simple or evident about it, and Hesse will see to it that their relationship won't sail smoothly, but Steve knows that he will feel abandoned for sure if he doesn't show Danny he still wants him.

Thinking about it awakens the desire he's been pushing down with his grief these past days. He can feel the ghost of Danny's hands on his body and wishes for the real thing, the real caress of his fingers over his nipples, the push of his tongue against his hole. He allows his favorite fantasy to flood his mind, imagining himself standing naked in the turquoise water of his favorite lagoon back home, Danny behind him, just as naked and so beautiful, washing him lovingly the way he's been doing ever since Steve showed up at Hohokus. Slowly, the bathing turns into lovemaking, and soon Danny enters him. Steve gasps as he feels his own fingers mimicking the slide of the fantasy Danny's cock inside him.

It's been too long, he needs Danny. The real Danny, the one who makes him feel important and loved, all by himself, not for some military talent and a precious ability to gather and lead rebels. The Danny who only knows Steve as a slave but still loves him.

Steve sure doesn't know why Danny loves him so much, but he'll do whatever he can to protect what they share.

\-------------

"Duke said you agreed to see me ?"

Duke also said last night that Steve looks better and more alert, but right now Steve is still half-asleep, or so Danny wants to believe. It hurts less than the indifference and it makes it easier to say what he has to say. He offers Steve the book he purchased yesterday and takes a step back.

"This is for you," he explains. "I found it at the market, it might help with… whatever it is you're going through."

Steve still doesn't speak, he looks at the book and takes in the cover showing an etching of the volcanic coastline of one of Hawaii's peninsulas, and Danny can see his eyes lighting up.

It's got to be enough, he thinks, retreating a bit more, to know that Steve's feeling better now.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer because of me," he says anyway, because this feeling has been wearing him down too since he got back from Newark, "and I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I understand why you don't want to see me anymore, and I promise it's the last time I'm forcing you to accept me in your cell, but I want you to know that I'm implementing changes to make sure it won't happen again and that you'll never be under Hesse's thumb again."

Danny doesn't wait for the non-answer that will rip his heart again with Steve's indifference. He turns around and is about to go out when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"No, you don't get to leave me, Danny Williams. You come back here right now."

Danny's shoulders go stiff but he stops right there, back still turned on Steve. It's just so good to hear his voice.

"Why ?" he asks, careful not to hope.

Steve's other hand lands on his left shoulder.

"Do you remember our conversation a long time ago, when I told you that I prefer the hurt being done to me than to someone I love ?"

"I do," Danny says, or tries anyway, because his voice is mostly gone.

"I said that I'd do the same for you, if our role were reversed. That I'd protect you the way you protect me."

"And I remember hoping that you'd never have to prove it to me. But you were hurt anyway. Not for me, but because of me. And there won't ever be enough words in the world to tell you how sorry I am for that."

"That's the thing, Danny. You don't have to, because none of it was your fault. You tried to do right by everyone, being there for your kids and me at the same time, and I can't hold you responsible for someone else's deeds."

"Yes, you can, you did, and you should."

"Yes, I did, and now I'm ashamed. I won't let a guy like Hesse spoil what I have with you, you hear me ?"

Danny looks down. He wants to believe Steve, he wants it so much, but he's not sure how he'll get over it if Steve decides to dump him again. Not sure he can risk his heart.

"Danny, look at me."

Danny sighs and turns around. It takes him a few more seconds to manage looking up, but then he can't stare at anything else than Steve's face, so close, mask off, and the loving expression that lights it all up. So much more than the memory of Hawaii brought by an etching on a book cover, and Danny's heart warms at this thought.

"Do you still want me ?" Steve asks.

"What sort of question is that ? Of course, I still want you. I'm not the kind of guy who changes his mind from one day to the next because things got a little tough."

"Then stop fighting it and kiss me."

Despite his words, Steve doesn't wait for Danny to come to a decision. He leans down and takes Danny's lips, and it's magic. The instant their mouths meet, Danny surges and gets his arms around Steve to get them as close as possible.

\-------------

A few days later, Lou's great idea of hunting down places like taverns and brothels to make nice with the fort's guards comes to fruition.

No one has been able to give him sound information so far, save for the fact that the warden seems to be taken with one of his prisoners and that's a first for him. No one really knows how far this is going, or they don't want to rat on their boss. Most men seem to be more than loyal to the guy ; they look devoted, quite like Lou and his friends are to McGarrett. And somehow that's another proof of Steve's presence in Lou's book, just don't ask him why. He'd rather not have to spout nonsense about two souls finding each other.

But not all his men are loyal to Williams. Lou's heard about the bailiff, his brother and their friend Duclair. Bad seeds, all of them. Jealous and malcontent, ready to stoop to any low to get the warden fired and take his place.

Obviously, the best shot at uncovering the truth if Lou's able to make them think that there's a lot to be gained by talking to him about provincial secret.

It takes a few days before the three men come back to Hohokus and spend a good night at the Fort, the lively inn standing in the shadow of the real fort where workers and guards alike do their best to alleviate their thirst at night. Lou's tankard of ale is almost warm by the time a man slides next to him at the counter and grabs the first waitress passing by.

"Bring me and my friends three pints of ale, Abby," Anton Hesse commands.

"Sure, Vidame, as soon as you'll get your filthy paws off of me."

"Don't be like that, sweetheart. I know you missed me."

"Like a toothache."

Lou likes her. Blonde and pretty, she's one of the few who didn't fall for his sweet talk and never gave away any of the secrets she probably hears while tending to her job in a tavern where men get drunk and open their big mouths more than they should. And she's obviously smart enough to know the Hesse boys are bad news, however rich and powerful they might be.

He watches her as she takes the three ordered pints to the table Hesse has gone back to, joining who can only be his brother and his friend Duclair. Lou makes sure to etch each face into his memory. He's ready to get involved when Anton tries again to get frisky with the waitress, but Abby is able once more to get away without more than a hand to her ass, grabbing the wandering hand to put it on a passing man's backside before she walks away and abandons Hesse to explain why he's touching a stranger's ass. Lou chuckles as he witnesses Anton's reddening face, closer by the second to getting a fist in it, until the other Hesse stands up and averts the crisis with a judicious application of money and threat.

"Good job !" Lou congratulates Abby when she gets back behind the counter.

"Yeah ? Too bad the boss won't close his door to lowlifes like those three guys. But I'll be damned if I let them play with me just because they wear fancy titles."

"What's a vidame, anyway ?"

"Far as I know, the guy who dirties his hands with jobs a bishop won't do. This one mainly represents the Newark bishopric at the court of law, whenever the church's interests are threatened or questioned ; at times, he's been known to get rid of problems long before they come to the court. But he also levies taxes – I heard him pride himself for diverting quite a bit of it towards his own pockets. Word is he's got a huge, beautiful house in Newark thanks to his job, and his two friends here benefit from his largesse when they're not stationed at the Hohokus fort. His big brother, the one seated on his right, is the bailiff of Mahwah. He waits for only one thing, the day he will become the warden of the fort."

"What's so great about being a warden ?" Lou insists, seeing as Abby is a lot more talkative about guys she dislikes. "Living with prisoners all year long ? In a dark fort ?"

"I don't know. Power probably, and a plush annuity. But mark my words, you who were asking the other day about the current warden : the bailiff won't ever use his income to upgrade the prisoners' fare if he gets the job. On the contrary, he will cut costs and rations to add to his own salary and hand out gifts to those who already have more than enough to live."

"Charming guys you're describing. Although one could argue that the prisoners had it coming and that they should pay for their sins."

Abby is suddenly a lot less friendly and Lou wonders if she's got a loved one stuck in the fort.

"Speaking of money," she says, "I have a job to do. Want a refill ?"

"Sure."

Abby fills his tankard with fresher ale and then leaves to attend to other customers.

Lou decides to approach the trio to get the answers he needs. But then Anton spares him the trouble by coming back to the counter, asking for three refills already.

"You guys are thirsty," Lou remarks pleasantly.

Anton takes in Lou's appearance from head to toe, and lets himself be mollified by his bonhomie.

"Just the well-deserved reward of a man after a hard day's work."

"I hear you, man ! Nothing beats that moment when you're free of duty, no wife to ask you for more work and complain about everything you've done already, no boss to rattle your chain…"

"And no prisoner to keep in line," Anton adds with a hard but friendly slap on Lou's back.

"Prisoners ? You work in that huge prison over there ? Man, you have all my sympathy ! How do you manage to get them to respect your authority ?"

"Simple. You take everything from those who don't, and reward the ones who obey. They're like children, you know ? They just need to be taught their place in this world."

"It does seem simple, the way you tell it. Makes me think of a guy I knew back home. Had a few troubles with the law, got sent to jail, and doubled his sentence getting on the guards' last nerves. Guess he didn't have guys like you around to teach him how to behave."

"Bad for him, but at least it keeps the guards employed, right ?" Anton laughs.

It's probably more like Anton's fourth or fifth pint, Lou reflects, because his eyes are kind of glazed and his laugh's veering towards crazy. Which is actually a very good thing and means that Lou shouldn't use too much subtlety to get through to him.

"But that wouldn't be the same. They sure could use guys like you down in Hawaii. Tell you what, you should be the warden of Haweila ! How does that sound ?"

"Good, good," Anton approves, even though his smile has dimmed more than a bit. "So you're from Hawaii ?"

"Not me. Chicago boy all the way. But my wife is. The things we do for love !"

"I wouldn't know, I don't do love. And I don't much like Hawaiian people."

They do know how to love, Lou thinks, but he keeps that thought for himself.

"They're fierce and proud, and they probably make the worst prisoners."

"You don't say !"Anton exclaims. "The one we have in here has a hard time taking to the training. It doesn't help that the warden forbids us to use most of our tricks."

"Why would he do that ?" Lou wonders, taking a sip of his tankard to encourage Anton to do the same with his pint.

"Because he's a bleeding heart," Anton scoffs. "Doesn't want Steven to be hurt, wants to keep him in top form to fuck him at his discretion."

Lou feels something drain inside him. Gotcha ! he wants to shout, but he remains silent and supportive, to make sure Anton or his friends won't be alerted, that they won't take measures to transfer Steve somewhere else just when his friends are here to take him out. That the bastard warden won't get to rape him anymore, not for long anyway.

So Lou keeps joking with Anton, jokes that hurt his soul, but there's no sacrifice he's not ready to make at this point to save his friend from those demons.

\-------------

Since he got Danny back, Steve feels like the sun is also back in his life, and not just because he enjoys once more the view of the sky from the opened windows of Danny's apartment. Danny's constant smile, his high-spirited rants, the love he showers Steve with, all of it lift Steve's spirits and make him look at life with renewed hope.

He wants to make up for the lost time, prove to Danny that all is forgiven and that he trusts him.

"Why are you looking at me like you're going to eat me whole ?" Danny asks suddenly. "Don't I feed you enough ?"

"You know a man has different kinds of appetites, don't you ?"

"I know a lot about that, but what are we talking about, here, if it's not about food ? Spiritual need, maybe ?"

"I was thinking more about the earthly kind of need."

Danny stops filing his books in the sturdy cabinet to lean against the wall.

"Earthly need ? Do you mean you need to feel your feet on the ground ? Your toes in the sand ?"

"Stop playing obtuse, you know I'm talking about sex, or the lack thereof."

"I seem to recall your dick in my mouth, and my dick in your ass, no later than last night."

"Last night, you're right. Many hours ago, naked and sweaty in your bed. Now you're all dressed up and far from me."

"You still don't like my uniform ?" Danny looks down at himself and takes off some lint from his meticulously white jacket.

"Far be it from me to say that you’re not gorgeous like this – perish the thought ! – but do you really need to wear your full uniform in summer ?"

If Steve is honest, gorgeous doesn’t even cut it. He always liked this particular uniform which seems to have been tailored on Danny himself in the way it clings to all the tantalizing curves and angles of his body. His shoulders especially, stunningly wide for someone so short, and his delectable ass that Steve keeps fantasizing about since the first day he caught a glimpse of it. The big, black leather boots are also a turn-on, for some reason. But he wants nothing more than the opportunity to disrobe Danny and discover once again all the marvels hidden under the fabric.

"Yes, I really do," Danny answers quite smugly, as if Steve’s thoughts are indeed written all over his face. "I am the warden. I need to set the example for my men."

"Then I guess I need to find a way to take it off of you."

"You think you can do that ?" Danny asks, coming closer, confident smile on his face.

"I know I can."

Steve gets up from the chair they now consider his every time Danny brings him here. He walks to his lover until he's standing right in front of him. He loves that Danny doesn't feel threatened by their big height difference, the way women, or even some men do when Steve's doing his best to impress the person facing him.

They kiss for a while, gently at first, like a lingering hello from two lovers greeting each other after a day spent separately. Taking their time to discover again everything they love about the other. Danny's tongue is a wonder, as talented during a kiss as it is during a speech, and Steve lets it charm him again, like a sweet, harmless poison entering his blood and making him weak all over.

"Shall we go to your bedroom ?" Steve asks when he feels his legs won't hold him much longer.

This maddening desire is here again to sweep him off his feet, and Steve's fingers are having a tough time unbuttoning Danny's jacket while Danny's hands have taken possession of his ass, kneading his cheeks deep and hard to bring their bodies as close as possible. They're both groaning with lust and need, and Steve hardly realizes Danny's pushing him in the direction of the bed until his legs hit the mattress and he falls down on it.

With a hand, he calls Danny to follow him, but his lover remains where he is, his eyes taking in the show Steve's offering with his own shirt already gone and his breeches and underwear open enough that they don't hide anything anymore.

"Look at you, so gorgeous," Danny admires, transfixed. "What did I do to deserve someone like you ?"

"I could ask you the same," Steve answers. "Now take off your uniform !"

The order makes Danny smile, but it fails to get him to obey. He folds his arms and keeps looking at Steve with the same fire that has Steve melting inside and wanting to offer himself without restraint or limit.

"Tell you what," Danny says, "you finish disrobing and then you take yourself in hand and give me a little show, and maybe I'll take the rest of my clothing off."

"You drive a hard bargain, Warden. You need to sweeten the pot a little. Give me a little incentive."

"What do you have in mind, prisoner ?"

Steve pushes down his legs the last of his clothes, leaving himself naked as the day he was born, and begins to caress his half-hard shaft slowly, teasingly.

"You in me, that's the deal," he announces, his legs opening to tease some more with a truncated view of the hole Danny loves so much to master and invade.

"That's negotiable," Danny accepts, "but you're gonna have to do more than this. Spread your legs wider, touch yourself harder."

"I can do that."

Steve obeys immediately, spreading his legs as far as they'll go and speeding the rhythm of his hand on his cock.

"Do you like what you see ?"

Danny sits down on the bed, pushing on Steve's knees to get a better view.

"You, my love, are a sight for sore eyes. The most gorgeous man I've ever seen, and I'm going to make you feel so good you'll never want to leave me."

"I don’t want anyone else, Danny. I'm not going anywhere, obviously, but I want only you."

The fire in Danny's eyes communicates to Steve's inside, and Steve pushes his ass towards his lover as much as he can to remind him of his promise.

"Get in me," he repeats, feverishly, urgently. "Make love to me."

He still hesitates to use these words but as he feels more and more the depth of Danny's feelings for him, there's no other expression that seems to fit what they're doing together. Every time Danny whispers 'you're mine' to him while he touches him intimately, Steve feels like he belongs at last, and it's not any different this time when Danny finally answers Steve's call and disrobe just enough to be able to penetrate him, changing their position as little as he can to be able to watch Steve and kiss him.

It's not their most passionate moment, but it's imbued with something more, the mutual knowledge that they want each other for the long haul, that they choose to build a relationship together.

It develops slowly, but quickly gains power. There's something about the way Danny makes love that reminds Steve of the way he talks. His hands are just as voluble in their caresses, his mouth gets as busy kissing, nipping and licking. Danny's focus is all on you, addictive, relentless, and his dick drives into you all the feelings and emotions bubbling into him with the sheer force of the penetration, his fierce cock planting itself inside Steve like a flag claiming its possession.

A possession Steve desires and shares with his own hands disrobing Danny to get to his skin and claim him too. He feels so good, and too close to the edge. He wants this moment to last forever, their joining permanent. Bask in the love and lust they create when they're rubbing against each other, sharing fluids and love. Sticky and beautiful at the same time, and it's not any weirder than the way Danny makes him feel free in his prison. If this has to be his life from now on, then so be it. Steve doesn't question it anymore, he just knows he loves Danny, and everything else goes and flows from this point forward. If he ever were to be freed, he'd try to convince Danny to come back with him to Hawaii.

Or maybe he'd just kidnap him and his kids, and ride towards Hawaii with them in tow, no choice but to follow him home.

Steve wants to spend the rest of his life with this man, wherever that means, in any way it might come to pass. Making love with him, to him, even in prison his life won't be such a failure if he lives it with Danny.

He turns over and kisses him, deeply, pushing Danny to get back inside him, but this moment of frenzy morphs once again into a slow one, all feelings heightened. Danny's cock rubs all the right places inside him and Steve lights up more and more. It's over soon after Danny uses his hand to get him off and he revels as usual in Danny filling him, for yet another long moment.

Steve loves just as much the instants that follow, spent next to each other in silence. Danny usually speaks with his hands that keep stroking Steve, but today he simply curves one of them over Steve's heart and looks in the distance.

"You seem distracted today," Steve remarks after a while. "Am I boring you already ? Do I need to find new ways to please you, my lord ?"

Danny laughs.

"Well, I won't say no to anything you might come up with, but no, you're not boring me at all. I'm just…"

Danny seems to be at loss for words and finishes his sentence with a wave of his hand that explains absolutely nothing.

"Tell me," Steve insists, moving his own hand over Danny's furry chest.

"Okay. Well, there's this woman, Abby. Abby Dunn, she's a waitress at the inn by the fort. A great person, totally dedicated to the ones she loves, and her father is serving time here, probably on false charges brought by… Anyway, she came to me earlier, to tell me there are people asking a lot of questions these days about me and the fort."

"What kind of questions ?"

"Nothing very explicit. The kind of prisoners we keep. The way I treat them. That kind of stuff. Nothing exactly threatening, but Abby has a good head on her shoulders and I tend to believe that she wouldn't have come to me if there was no real reason to worry."

"Are you going to track down those guys ?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Seems like a lot of work for something that might turn out to be nothing more than a prank. But on the other hand, if there's a real threat to the prison or the prisoners, I need to investigate."

"You want to do it yourself ? Can't you go to the police ? That sounds like something they should do."

Danny turns on his side, facing Steve.

"Why don't you want me to do it ?"

"I just don't want to give you more reasons to leave the prison. We don't have that much time to spend together."

That seems to be the right thing to say. Danny's hand comes up, his fingertips tracing Steve's lips.

"Alright, I'll ask Captain Fryer to look into it. Not sure if it will do much good, since the good captain and I are not on very friendly terms, but it can't hurt to ask. And' I'll do my best to get you to spend as much time as possible here with me."

Danny leans towards him, asking for a kiss, and Steve is all too happy to grant his wish.

\-------------

Tani never liked Nick Taylor much.

It was not a problem at first. Back when she was just a young girl caring for her kid brother Koa in the middle of a rebel camp, her hero was Steve McGarrett, defender of the people, protector of the little guys. Nick Taylor was a shadow at his side, who never stopped like Steve to talk with kids and ask how they fared. He was the one who, on the contrary, reminded Steve that they had more important things to do, convoys to attack, villages to save. That they didn't have time for frightened children in need of just a few words to feel better.

Things changed when Steve was arrested. Tani decided she didn't have the luxury to be afraid anymore, or rather to use it as an excuse to sit on her ass and wait for others to do the dirty work in her place. Koa was still too young, but it was time for her to give back after she had been offered a second chance at life by the rebels. She went in search of Kono Kalakaua, her other hero, to tell her that she wanted to learn to fight just like her, and help keep McGarrett's rebellion alive.

Tani remembers just fine the harsh training she was submitted to. Kono wasn't around constantly, a lot of her time taken by the raids and attacks, so her main instructor had become Erica Raines, the toughest woman, besides Kono, Tani had ever met, and incidentally Taylor's lover. It was Erica who told Nick to take Tani with him when they set about to free McGarrett.

Ever since they've been on their quest to find the prison where Steve was sent, Tani's had a better chance to know Nick Taylor, and she still doesn't like him very much.

Okay, make that not at all. But, and this is a big but, he knows his job and gets things done. Which is why Tani follows his orders.

He's the one who comes up with the plan to distract the guards at the prison's gate with pretty girls so that he and Chin can creep up on them unseen from the moat.

He puts Kono in charge of finding more practical information. So she charms a guard who was fired some time ago, to get the lay of the place and a list of the most likely cells Steve might be locked in. Kono reports some of the horror stories she had to listen to, about the way the bailiff and his men treat the prisoners who don't comply, with blows and humiliations, which seems to be also the reason why this particular guard was discharged by the tipstaff, and they all feel more determined than ever to free Steve.

When they think of a diversion to let them in the fort, everyone agrees that it'd be a good idea to get the warden far away from the prison, far from Steve and his perverted interest in him, and to pin the responsibility of the escape on the bailiff and his men.

This seems like an easy thing to do.

\-------------

They're kissing gently, tenderly, hands slowly roaming over each other's bodies, taking their sweet time to come back to the world at large after an intense session of lovemaking, when there's a knock on the apartment's front door.

With a sigh, another kiss and a last caress on Steve's stubbly face, Danny stands up and puts on a robe before he goes to answer the door. Steve doesn't move, feeling too good to want anything else. Or maybe a short nap. Before round two.

The lasting silence finally attracts his attention. The guard who knocked has come and gone, but Danny's failed to show up again.

"Danny ?" he asks, loud enough to be heard from the other room. "Won't you come back to the bed ?"

He feels like an odalisque, a pampered woman locked in the harem inside the heavily guarded seraglio, her time never as well used as when she's brought to the sultan to make sure her body will please him to no end. And he wants to please Danny just as much, if not more. Get him back into the bed to spend a lazy, languid morning together, exchanging blow jobs and caresses until Danny's libido has recovered enough to take Steve again. He's insatiable and he knows it, drunk on that feeling of belonging.

Danny comes back at last. His face looks suddenly so white, one hand molesting his usually perfect hair.

"Danny ? What's up, man ?"

Danny loves when Steve uses the less formal language they're fond of in Hawaii. He rants about it, reminds Steve of the right way to speak in pleasant company, but ultimately chuckles and kisses Steve to show how much he loves it.

Not this time, though. He walks to the bed as if he hasn't heard Steve and offers him the letter the guard brought him.

The beautiful, very elegant handwriting is somewhat marred by irregular dots of ink, as if the writer had been in too much of a hurry to make sure the feather wouldn't drip on the paper.

_"Lord Williams, I'm sending this letter to you with a speedy rider to let you know about your son Charles' health. The child is very sick and the doctor doesn't seem to know what the problem is. He told me to alert you at once, so that you can be there with him in case the worst happens._

_I am very sorry to be the harbinger of such bad news but Charles needs you right away._

_Your ever devoted, Melissa Armstrong"_

Melissa, the children's nanny. Steve has often wondered if he should feel jealous or wary about her. But it seems so petty right now, and Danny's hand closing around his wrist takes him back to the present situation. Danny doesn't even need to tell him that he's going to leave him behind once again.

"I'm so sorry, babe. I swore I wouldn't leave you again at the hands of Hesse, but my little boy, he's sick and he needs me. I have to go but I promise I won't be long. I'll come back with him if I need to."

"I know, Danny, I believe you. You have to go."

"Promise me you understand."

Steve can see the fear on Danny's face, he just doesn't know which part is for his son's life and which part for Steve's.

"I do, Danno. I do. Charlie needs you, that's the most important thing to take into account. I wish I had been that important to my parents when I was a kid, so I'm not going to make you pay for that."

"And I'm not going to call on the bailiff anyway. I'll leave the fort in Duke's more than capable hands and I'll be back before anyone who can object knows I'm not around."

"You sure ? Don't get into trouble for me. I can deal with Hesse for a few days. Especially if Duke and Nahele are still here to take care of me."

"I know you can deal, that you're tough and resilient, but I don't want you to have to ! And I don't want you to get hurt. Not ever again, if it depends on me."

Steve can only lean down and kiss his lover.

"I wish I could come with you," he says.

And Danny can only kiss him too, because there's nothing he can do to make this wish come true.

\-------------

Right after they've seen Lukela and Huikala leave for the day, immediately followed by Taylor and Chin to knock them out and tie them up somewhere out of sight, Junior finds a kid and gives him a few coins to bring to the fort the letter intended to lure Williams out and far away. Tani laughs watching Junior dealing with a boy who clearly knows a sucker when he finds one and manages to extort him twice the usual fare, seeing as they're right in front of said fort and Junior could very well deliver the message himself, which means there's something fishy about it.

Then they wait. People come and go out of the massive prison, some in flashy white uniforms, others wearing the simple attire of simple workers, mostly women coming to visit their husbands locked inside the prison. Many of them bring a basket with food and a part of it is shared with the guards at the gate. Whether this offering is a voluntary gift or an obligatory door opener remains to be seen.

Less than two hours later, Taylor and Chin back with them waiting to get in, Williams rides out of the fort in a hurry. With his men out, it's likely he had to call on the bailiff.

It's a beautiful summer morning, and the whole town seems to have wandered out. It's probably the only reason why Taylor doesn't shoot the warden on the spot. Too many witnesses, too many questions, no way to hide his death from the guards who would tighten the protection around the prisoners. So they let Williams go unharmed and wish for another encounter to be able to give him his just reward. All in due time.

They're about to scatter and put their plan in gear when an officer shows up at the gate on his horse and the sentries salute.

"Good morning, Bailiff," one of them says loud enough that the sound reaches their small band.

They look at each other, a question in their eyes. Should they go in anyway ? The bailiff wasn't supposed to get there so quickly, roaming the prison's cells and corridors.

They don't have much of a choice, to be honest. The letter trick has now been used and they won't get another chance to send Williams away that easily. Whatever brought the bailiff back here at such short notice, it will probably keep him busy enough that they can still go ahead as planned.

One by one, they nod to indicate that they're okay to go. When all eyes settle on Taylor, the leader nods in his turn.

"Let's go," he says. "This is the moment we've been waiting for ever since he was taken from us, my friends. Let's get Steve back."

The men leave first, hugging the walls of the nearby houses obscured by the huge silhouette of the fort, until they get to the moat and descend noiselessly into the dark shadows to swim right up under the drawbridge.

A few minutes later, Kono and Tani take a last look at each other, tugging on their bodices to make the most of their cleavage and render the sentries a little less observant of their surroundings, before they leave the corner they've been hiding in and march to the drawbridge.

\-------------

Steve's surprised when his door opens. With Danny gone to check on Charlie – Steve keeps his fingers crossed for the little boy to be better than the letter had them fear – and Duke and Nahele out for the day, he shouldn't get visitors before it's time for the next meal.

He jumps to his feet when he's faced with Hesse. Alone, which doesn't bode well for a peaceful encounter.

"Bailiff," he welcomes the other man as graciously as possible, "to what do I owe the pleasure ? I thought you were still banned from this prison."

"You're right, I am. By your fault, I should add."

"Funny, I was going to say this was all your own doing. I guess it's all a question of whose point of view you adopt to look at the situation."

"I don't give a fuck about your point of view, actually. I even think it's time I deal with you in the way you deserve, once and for all."

"The warden will be back soon…"

"The warden will find you dead and I'll only have to say you jumped on me to explain your demise. Of course, he'll try to raise hell, accuse me of murder, but who do you think the council will believe ? The one who slept with the dead prisoner, or the one who provides them with so many pricy things at a real discount ?"

Steve is not in the best position to defend himself. The domino is a bit annoying but the main problem comes from the chains that Danny put back on him before he left, apologies in his eyes for being obliged to do so.

Steve used to be one of the best at fighting before his incarceration. He trained his people, never defeated. But now, after two and a half years without real exercise, and faced with a strong and hateful opponent, his chances of winning are low. Far too low for his liking. The chains keeping his hands too close make it even more of a challenge.

But he's ready when Hesse throws the first punch. Ready to throw one back with both fists and hit hard, square in the face. Hesse looks wobbly on his legs for just about ten seconds, but then he retaliates, his own fist landing on Steve's ribs.

It hurts, and Steve can't find his breath for a few seconds, but he hits back again, and they go at it ruthlessly.

After one too many punches on his ribcage, Steve falls to the floor. Hesse follows him and keeps hitting the same place again and again. Steve can only protect himself, hoping nothing will break and that someone will come to help him. Soon.

With great effort, he manages to turn them around, cutting Hesse's ability to punch him with any real force with his back to the ground, and then puts his hands on each side of the bailiff's face to get the chains around his neck. The man is getting redder and redder, breath too shallow to be useful. But in a desperate last move, Hesse uses his legs to throw Steve down once more and he's able to get free, punching Steve again, right in the face.

The sound of the door opening doesn't stop him and Steve hardly pays it attention, sure there's no help coming for him.

And yet a thin, tanned hand lands on Hesse's shoulder who turns his head, ready to bawl them out, until a formidable punch sends him down, out for the count.

For a short moment there, Steve is pretty sure Hesse hit him so hard he's hallucinating. Because there's no way his friends from Hawaii – Nick, Kono, Chin, and yes, even little Tani who's definitely grown to become a woman since last he saw her – are standing in front of him. Tani looks two seconds away from crying, Kono and Chin are smiling big, and Nick offers his hand to get him up.

"Seems like we arrived at the right time," he says, as if Steve's need explains their presence in this very room.

And frankly, he doesn't care. He lets Nick pull him closer and they hug for a second, before Steve has to do the same with his other friends. It's not as good as being in Danny's arms, but it's pretty great all the same. They smile, so close to tears, and they exchange a few words without real meaning or substance, just to hear the others' voices, make sure they're all together, just like before.

"How did you guys manage to come here ?" he wonders.

"That's a story for another place and time," Nick cuts any answer Tani was about to give him. "We have to get away. Take off that mask and put on the clothes we brought for you."

He had almost forgotten the domino, and it feels wrong somehow to take it off when it's not Danny's fingers doing it. But he does it, pushing the velvet thing inside his underwear to hold onto it as he changes into the new clothes.

"Come on, Steve. We don’t have all day ! We have to put as much distance as possible between us and them in the next days."

Steve takes a step and then stops, the smiling face of Danny blinding him to everything else. The man he loves and to whom he's given his word.

"Wait, I can’t do that. The warden, I gave him my word that I wouldn't escape. He’s been good to me, made the seclusion bearable, and he's protected me all that time."

"Yeah, obviously," Nick snorts at Steve holding his ribs.

"He did !" Steve insists. "His second did this to me, not Danny."

"Oh, we are on a first name basis. I see."

"No, you don’t," Steve replies, annoyed.

Nick’s a badass, raised next to Steve in the same way he was, but he doesn’t know what being in love means. Never experienced kindness from one supposed to be his enemy. He just can't imagine a prison warden being nice to a prisoner when such a man has complete power to be cruel. It's important that Steve gets him to understand.

"If I leave, he’ll face questions and reprimand, for sure."

"Boss, I get it," Kono intervenes, looking a bit sheepish. "You don’t want to repay his kindness with troubles, but he’s not here. If anything, the one in trouble should be that guy. They will think we chose his shift on purpose, because he was less of a danger to overcome. Which is totally the truth, by the way. Rotten to the core, that one."

She pushes with the tip of her boot the still unconscious form of the bailiff, clearly showing how happy she is that she got to be the one to throw the punch that knocked him down.

Getting Hesse his just deserts is a true incentive. Steve probably won't ever get justice for what was done to him in Haweila, so putting Hesse in deep trouble will have to suffice. But it's not what finally gets him to move.

"Hawaii needs you, Steve," Chin says. " _We_ need you to keep on fighting."

Steve stands straighter at these words, ready to walk out of his prison cell.

But he can't resist the need to take a little revenge on the bailiff for all the humiliations visited on him.

\-------------

Danny's never ridden so fast, not even when he couldn't wait to see Steve again. Not since he left his regiment and the battlefields, never having to run for his life anymore.

He already feels guilty enough that he's about to uproot his kids, that he hasn't written to them as often as he used to, far too taken by a man who's turned his life upside down. If something happens to Charlie, he won't ever forgive himself.

He doesn’t stop for a meal at his favorite inn along the road this time, hardly gets down from his horse to change for a fresh one. The closer he gets, the louder his fears become. He begins to imagine he's too late, that Charlie died without him, maybe thinking his father had abandoned him. He knows this is crazy, that he should stop right there and think of something else, anything else, but he can't help it. He's always been a worrier, and today proves no different. His little boy can't be so sick that the doctor had Melissa send for him. This is a nightmare.

And what if it's contagious ? Melissa didn't talk about Gracie, but she's still so young, so fragile.

His head is full of what ifs as his horse swallows up the last miles. He jumps down rather than dismounts as soon as he's in his house's yard and goes to run inside, only to be stopped by the shouts of happy children coming from the backyard.

\-------------

It feels strange to be out, getting fresh air on his face. His whole face, unmasked.

Yes, he's been out of the domino a great deal of time since Danny began to take care of him, but it's not the same, not here in the middle of busy streets where no one recognizes him. To all those people who go about their lives, he's a nobody, no one important.

They get out of the city without causing any stir. They don't hear the alarm being raised, nor shouts about a prisoner's escape. The bailiff is probably still unconscious in Steve's cell, or unable anyway to call for help. Kono trussed him up like a Christmas turkey ready to be put in the oven. Naked and masked with a sock, to get him a taste of his own medicine.

A part of him feels torn apart. Leaving without Danny, without a word of explanation, feels like a betrayal, even though he never deserved to be locked away in a prison to begin with.

But Danny and him, they’ve become so much more than prisoner and warden. So much more than two men meeting in difficult circumstances. More than friends. Steve can't believe he might never see Danny again.

He's regretting the time he spent ignoring him, pushing him away. He knows it's stupid, that he needed that time to get over some issues, but as he keeps thinking they might never see each other again, he feels more and more empty, like his heart has been ripped out of chest.

The more he thinks about it, the more he tries to convince himself again that he should take Danny back with him down to Hawaii. Take his kids too – hell, the whole Williams family if that's what it takes – and live a happy life all together. They all deserve it. And that's precisely what stops him every time he wants to turn his horse around and ride hard towards Newark. Danny and his children do deserve a happy life ; being with Steve would only mean troubles and danger for them all.

He thinks he reads pity on his friends' faces. Their fearless leader probably looks old and weak to them right now, cheating impersonation of the memories they kept close to their heart. He does feel old and weak and he has to gather the whole of his dwindling energy to keep on going. He never knew that missing the one you love could turn what should be one of the most joyous moments of your life into such heartache.

\-------------

If the children were surprised to see him, they didn't make much of it, too happy to get an extra visit from their father to question his presence a lot.

Danny's spent a long time hugging and kissing both of them, relieved to find them well and healthy, and just as disturbed by the letter he's received.

When he manages to get more than two steps away from Charlie and Grace, he takes Melissa inside the house, inside his office, so they can still watch over the kids from the window but avoid frightening them by talking privately.

"Did you send me a letter ?" he asks Melissa, who looks pale and scared, though he's pretty sure this was her handwriting.

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I had to," she recognizes.

"What is wrong with you ?! Why on God's green Earth would you do that ? Do you have any idea how worried I was since I received your missive ?!"

Melissa cringes but Danny's still too rattled to care.

"I was forced to do it," she cries. "Masked men came to the house last night. They looked very proper at first, but they quickly told me that they would take the children away if I didn't write a letter to you saying that Charlie was sick and that you had to come right away to Newark. I'm so sorry, I didn't know what else to do. They left early this morning, after they locked us inside. I had no choice."

For a moment, Danny's worries make way for Melissa's.

"Did they hurt you ?"

"No, nothing of the sort," she replies, immediately understanding his concern. "They only asked for me to write the letter and they left just like they had arrived, sneakily."

"How did you get away if you were trapped inside the house ?"

"Eric came to share our meal. I didn't tell him anything, I didn't want him to go after them and risk being hurt. But he was very curious."

And so is Danny.

There's only two reasons he can think of for those men to demand Melissa to write such a letter. One, to get a ransom, but then his kid would have been abducted, not left behind by whoever got him out of Hohokus. Second, exactly that. To get him out of Hohokus. Far from the prison and maybe…

"Melissa," he asks urgently, "those masked men, did you think there was something special about them ?"

"Something like what ?"

"I don't know, any detail. A look, a scent, an accent…"

"Yes !" she exclaims. "Now that you remind me, they had this weird accent."

"Very good. Did you ever hear something like that ? Did it remind you of someone else's accent ?"

"You know I'm not good with accents."

Danny gets impatient and throws his hands in the air.

"Did they sound a bit like Duke, or Nahele ?"

"Maybe. A bit, I guess. Why ? Do you think they came from Hawaii ?"

Melissa's eyes grow bigger.

"You think they came for…"

Danny cuts her off before she can utter a name.

"I don't know. I have to go back. Now."

"You're leaving us alone ?" she protests.

"I can't stay, I have to go back to the prison right now. But I want you to be extra careful and I'm going to write you a billet for Eric with my instructions."

\-------------

Chin is the first Steve seeks out for a tête-à-tête. Nick is a comrade in arms, but Chin always was the brother he chose for himself. A principled, strong man not afraid to remain sensitive, a warrior raised in the ways of the Koa, a fine strategist.

And one of his closest friends, which, for Chin, means a lot.

But that's not the way Chin chooses to welcome him once they're alone, filling everyone's flasks with water from a well they found on the outskirts of a sleepy village while their horses rest. They can't stay long but they have to pace themselves knowing they're just on the first leg of a very long trip. Probably longer than it has to be since they can't follow the direct road, to try and lose any party sent after them.

"It's just so good to see you," Steve tells Chin, taking in the man who hasn't changed a bit in the last couple of years. "You don't know how often I thought about you and Malia, hoping you two were happy."

"I'm not sure happy is the word I'd use, but contrary to you, we've had a good life. A free one."

Chin keeps filling his flask, never looking at Steve, before he continues.

"I'm just not sure I deserved it."

Steve's shock has to be written on his face.

""What ?! Of course you deserved to be happy. Why would you think you didn't ?"

Chin sighs and recorks the now full flask he's holding.

"Did you ever wonder how the soldiers knew you were visiting Governor Jameson's manor ?"

"I guess maybe Wo Fat tipped them off after he killed he… him, intending for whichever poor schmuck got there first after him to be accused of the murder."

"That's what we thought too in the next few days. But then some time after you were arrested, Gabriel came to see me."

"Gabriel ? Malia's brother ? What does he have to do with any of this ?"

"He overheard a conversation between me and Malia. He knew you were going to visit Jameson's manor, and he knew when. Maybe he wouldn't have done anything about it, but he got caught stealing and he bought his freedom by selling you out to Wo Fat. I'm so sorry, Steve. This was all my fault. All you endured, the violence, the isolation, those years you lost in prison, it's all on me."

Steve abandons his own flask to get closer and put his hands on Chin's shoulders.

"No, brah, that's not on you. Gabriel did it, not you or Malia. And even if you want to blame yourself, you got me out. It's over."

They stare at each other, Steve willing Chin to believe him and Chin fighting him all the way in the name of his sense of responsibility.

"As long as I haven't found Gabriel," Chin finally says, "I promise not to rest. He will live the same torments for what he did to you."

So close, Chin cannot miss Steve's grimace.

"What is it ?"

"No, Chin, I don't wish anyone to live through what I did. We have no prison anyway, and Governor Denning isn't going to put Gabriel in jail just because it suits us."

At these words, Chin's first real smile shows up.

"You might be surprised about that."

\-------------

Danny's exhausted when he finally gets back to the fort. He's not used to riding for hours anymore and the two-way trip at breakneck speed's not the easiest way to get back in the saddle, pun intended.

"Warden, you're back already ?"

The first sign that something's wrong is there staring him in the face. It should be Scates and Ellers at the gate, not Fraser and Kowalski.

"I am, obviously. What are _you two_ doing here ?"

"There's been an attack on the fort, the bailiff was injured, Scates and Ellers too. Duke sent us to replace them."

"Where is Duke now ?"

"With Captain Fryer, I guess."

"Captain Fryer ? What does he have to do with this mess ?"

"I think the guard who found the bailiff didn't know what to do in your absence, and Sergeant Lukela wasn't back yet, so he called Captain Fryer."

"Great ! Just what we needed for a bit of fun. A stuck-up police officer thinking he's allowed to roam the place at will. If any other copper shows up, you keep them out, you hear me ?"

"Yes, Warden, sir !"

Danny passes the gate and goes into the courtyard, rubbing his eyes with a sigh of weariness. The horse he's ridden for the last leg of the trip knows the fort already. He doesn't need directions to go right to the main door, and then, once Danny has dismounted, right to the stables.

Danny accesses the prison by his private entrance, and stops there, at the bottom of the stair, unable to go further. He puts both hands against the wall, head bent down between his shoulders, and closes his eyes to try and find his breath back.

He didn't ask the sentries the only important question. That's because he doesn't want to know. He feels sick already, pretty sure he does know what's happening here, why Hesse was attacked, why someone made sure to send him away. A part of him wants to run up there and find out, but the biggest one wants to stay in denial, live for a little while longer in the emotional bliss – or close enough – the last months have been for him.

He has to talk himself into gathering enough courage to move on, put a semblance of order in his uniform and hair before he takes the stair, counting each step up to the story his apartment and Steve's cell occupy.

There are two more guards where the stair opens up into the corridor, posted there by Duke, or maybe Fryer who was friends with the prior tipstaff and never forgave Danny for taking his place. As far as Danny's concerned, the former warden was a dick and a bad man, which made him well matched with Fryer.

"Warden," the sentry stands at attention as soon as he spots Danny, "Captain Fryer wishes to see you."

"Where is he ?"

"In your apartment, my lord."

Of course. Trust Fryer to invade his private apartment while Danny's not around to stop him.

Well, the man will wait. Danny has another place to check first.

Of course he knew. He knew because he's not a moron, and he can add two and two and come up with four, but his heart thumps hard at seeing Steve's door wide open. And again, at seeing the empty cell, no sign that Steve McGarrett ever lived there. Danny can almost see him, his wondrous smile like an invitation to sin, legs spread to entice him some more, and it's the most terrible feeling to know that this is just a fantasy, a hallucination.

Steve is gone. He's escaped, despite his word, and even if he's caught – God ! Danny hopes he's not caught, ever – there's little chance the king or Governor Denning will take the risk of sending him back to Hohokus.

Danny will never see him again, it's a foregone conclusion. His heart can break in as many pieces as it wants, for it will never be needed anymore.

Another prisoner will use this cell from now on, or maybe Danny will keep it empty, as a reminder never to fall in love again. Especially not with a beautiful prisoner who acts like he loves you back but leaves anyway.

And Danny can't even fault him for that. The few times they talked about it, Steve always said he was wrongly detained, badly tortured for no fault of his. Danny probably would have done the same, but he's not yet to the point where he can forgive and forget. He hurts too much. He wants to hate Steve for leaving him behind instead of taking him back to Hawaii with him.

"Quite the spectacle your bailiff gave us earlier !" Fryer's voice behind his back interrupts his internal lamenting.

Danny closes his eyes for a second, struggling to get back to the hardass Tipstaff of Hohokus' demeanor he favors in front of bully police officers, before he turns to face the captain.

"What do you mean ?" he asks, completely lost.

"Hesse. He was found in this cell, naked and chained for everyone to see it all. Not the most inspiring scene, let me tell you, unless you're into that kind of thing."

Danny tries to imagine the bailiff and he can't help it, a small smile of something akin to malice turns his lips up. So Steve got one up on Hesse in the end. Good. Danny admires that kind of retribution. An eye for an eye. Just deserts and all the rest.

"He wasn't supposed to be here. I suspended him a few weeks ago for conduct unbecoming of an officer and a few other misdeeds."

"So who was supposed to be here ?"

"What ?"

"This is a cell. A cell is meant for a prisoner. As we both can see, there's no such thing in here. So I repeat, who was supposed to be here ?"

"No offense, Captain, but that's none of your business."

"Offense very much taken, Warden, because this is my business when I'm called to witness a crime and I have to look for the criminal. Who's clearly missing."

"You want to take it that way ? Okay, be my guest. But I repeat, this is none of your damn business, because I have orders from a governor to keep this secret, so you'll excuse me if I have to walk all over your petty ego and I don't give a damn about it."

"I take my own orders from the governor of Jersey, who is very much a friend of the bailiff's, and he's going to want answers when the news of what happened to him reaches him. And you know it will, soon. Your guards will talk, and the rumor will spread all over town. If there ever was bad blood between your escaped prisoner and Hesse, once everyone has made fun of the bailiff in front of his face, I hope for your convict's sake that he's managed to run really far, for I wouldn't give much for his chances to survive another encounter."

"Are you trying to convince me to keep him away from the prison ? Because you're doing a great job so far !"

Danny knows he's treading on thin ice. Governor Delano is indeed friends with Hesse. Not to mention that the governor's very own brother, Frank, the bishop of Newark, is also Anton Hesse's boss in his other function. Both have the power of making Danny's life hell. Neither the bailiff nor the vidame have brought them into their conflicts with Danny so far, probably keeping them away from their small sideline businesses, but it doesn't mean they won't play this card if need be. And Danny doesn't have such protection to show to keep the wolves at bay.

"Come with me !" Fryer suddenly orders before he turns away and leaves the cell.

They go to Danny's apartment, where a cop is keeping sentry instead of one of Danny's men.

Danny sees red as soon as he gets inside. The place is trashed, books and notes littering the floor, kitchen utensils and clothes just the same.

"What have you done with my things ?" Danny bellows, turning to Fryer to take him by the lapels of his black jacket.

The man has a lot of pounds over him, but Danny's attack takes him by surprise, pushing him hard against a wall.

"Let go of me, Williams. Don't make your case worse."

"Worse ? What do you mean, worse ? I have nothing to feel guilty about. You invaded my place without motive, trashed it all, and you accuse me. Of what exactly ?!"

"Of collusion with an unknown enemy to let them in your prison to break one of your prisoners free."

"That's…" Danny's so surprised his words fail him for once. "That's insane !"

"Let go of me and I will prove to you why it's not."

Danny observes Fryer for a few more seconds, wracking his brain to try and understand what's happening here. He's not completely convinced when he takes his hands off the man, but he needs to see why Fryer thinks he helped with Steve's running away.

Fryer begins with putting his attire back in place, and then walks to Danny's desk. The only paper still on it is a letter that he takes and keeps in his own hands to show it to Danny. The message on it is short and makes no sense to him.

_"Warden Williams, thanks for the information and for the prisoner. You'll find the money at the agreed upon place and you won't ever hear from us again."_

There's no signature and he doesn't recognize the handwriting this time. But he's sure the same people who had Melissa writing him are behind this new letter.

"I don't understand," he says, looking up at Fryer. "Where did you find this, and what is it ?"

"You tell me. I found it on your desk, where you couldn't miss it once you were back from your oh so convenient trip out of the prison."

"Convenient ? There's nothing convenient in being called away because your son is so ill that he might not see another day, you moron !"

"That's also a convenient excuse," Fryer insists, unfazed by Danny's insult. "Do you have any proof of that ?"

"I have the letter my son's nanny sent me under duress. She and the kids were sequestered for a few hours while she was forced to write me a letter asking me to ride home as soon as possible for the reason I just explained."

"Show me this letter."

Danny turns towards the empty desk.

"I had left it there. I have no idea where you sent it flying."

He squats and goes through the different items on the floor, but there's nothing even vaguely resembling the missive he received from Melissa earlier today.

"It was there. I guess the person who put this note on my desk also took Melissa's letter to take away any clue that could clear me."

He doesn’t need Fryer to speak up to know he's thinking once again how convenient it all is.

He's full of pent-up energy and repressed rage, and it all makes him twitchy. Probably a very suspect look to someone as suspicious as Fryer, but he can't raise even a little bit of concern about what the man thinks right now.

He's lost Steve already, and now he's in a very real danger of losing his job. Probably his freedom. Maybe his life.

"So, Captain, will you arrest him or do I have to do it myself ?" Hesse's voice resonates from the door to Danny's apartment.

"Hesse," Danny greets him, unable to shut up, "I see you got your clothes back."

Hesse throws himself at him but Fryer gets in his way.

"You will pay for that, Williams," Hesse threatens him, voice dripping venom. "Believe me, if I can't have your boyfriend, you will be the one hanging for his sins."

"You wish, Bailiff. I have nothing to feel bad about, contrary to you."

"That will be for a court to decide," Fryer turns back to him. "Daniel Williams, you're under arrest for facilitating the escape of one of your prisoners. You will be taken immediately to the city's prison to make sure you won't be able to escape with the help of one of your guards. Now, put your wrists together so that I can handcuff you."


	3. Chapter 3

They've been riding silently for a while, favoring woods or small trails whenever possible to avoid being seen by too many people who could describe them to potential pursuers. Steve's feeling moody ; it's not just the fact that he misses Danny something fierce, but after so many months spent surrounded by walls, the open space feels weirdly confining. He doesn't know what to do with himself even though he's finally free with his actions and can do basically anything he wants to.

He pushes his horse and settles to ride next to Nick for a bit of small talk. Any way to get out of his head.

"How are you, man ?" he asks. "You look tired. How long have you been on the road ?"

"So many questions ?" Nick laughed. "I don't remember you being so chatty back then."

Steve can't help smiling, thinking about Danny.

"That would be my warden's fault," he accuses without any heat, relishing the possessive adjective when talking about Danny. "He's the kind of guy who has an opinion on everything and a clear theory about the way things have to go down. He's also very adept at telling you about it all, and he's passionate when he talks. I guess he rubbed off on me."

Steve shuts down more memories of the different ways Danny rubbed on him and turns towards Nick again.

"And don't forget that I have more than two years to make up for when it comes to you all and Hawaii. So, how are you ?" he repeats.

"Good enough, all things considered. I'm thrilled we finally have you back, happy that I'm going to be able to go back home after all those months wandering through states and cities I never really wanted to see, but also to step back and let you lead again and get all the troubles that go with being the one in command. And let's not forget, glad that I'm going back soon to Erica and our kids."

"What ?!" Steve exclaims. "That's why Erica isn't here, she finally convinced you ?"

"She did," Nick says, looking embarrassed but mostly happy. "I guess with you taken from us, I realized how short life is, and how quickly we can lose those we care about. So I married her, from one day to the next, and we've got two kids already."

"That's great !" Steve congratulates him. "I'm so happy for you both. Happy that my time in hell served a good cause in the end."

Nick doesn't answer, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Hey," Steve calls to get Nick to look at him again, "don't tell me you feel bad about it ? Because if that's the case, that's the dumbest thing you've ever done."

"You spent all that time locked away and submitted to I'm not sure I want to know what exactly, while I was making love to the most beautiful woman I know and getting her pregnant. Of course I feel bad !"

"Listen to me. I'm not going to say that my time in Haweila was all sunshine and daisies. It was all done to break me, and the more I resisted, the worse it became. But I survived, and it got a lot better once I was sent to Hohokus. I met someone there. I fell in love, for the first time in my life. I won't ever regret that, being with him for those few months. I might never share anything so good or so deep with someone else in the rest of my life, so be happy for me that I know, at least, that there's this special someone, made just for me, in this terrible world."

Nick looks at him as if he's been struck by a lightning, motionless. And suddenly he breaks into laughter. Or what pass for laughter with him, which for anyone else would be called a mere chuckle.

"Prison generally turns men into killing machines looking for revenge. Only you would get out in a trance, spurting gibberish about love and special someones."

Steve throws at Nick's head the first thing he finds, a few leaves from a branch that he can reach.

"You, my friend, haven't changed one bit. You're still a dick !"

"And you don't know the half of it !"

There's something ominous in Nick's tone that has Steve immediately worried.

"What have you done ?"

\-------------

It's late already, but Adam knows about the governor's habit to work very late. This same habit has kept him up just as late too many a night, working alongside Denning on any project to undo the mess Wo Fat left when he ran away. All the terrible laws he passed without consulting anyone, the corruption that now runs rampant and has to be fought at every turn. Two little years, and Hawaii is almost on its knees, the province's finances sucked dry.

It's a good thing Denning is not one to give up easily. Lesser men would say it's moot and try to take whatever advantage they can before they leave too. But this is not what Samuel Denning's made of. His compassion for the people of Hawaii is supported by an iron core that Adam is at times almost afraid of. Wary, at the very least, and he's always tried very hard not to anger his boss without a very good reason.

Tonight, even if they're both exhausted with the last leg of the trip out of Hawaii they're taking to encourage help and support from other provinces, Adam has the best of reasons to enter the governor's rooms after a perfunctorily knock. But he waits once inside for Denning, who's not wearing his official mask, to look up from the letter he's writing before he speaks.

"Meka's here," he announces, practically vibrating with his news. "McGarrett is free !"

"Yes !" Denning exclaims as he stands up, one of the few displays of joy Adam's ever seen him let loose. He comes close to Adam and puts his big hands on his shoulders to share his happiness. Adam doesn’t move or talk, but he knows his own silly grin is answer enough.

"We succeeded, Adam ! One more good omen. One more piece of Hawaii's return to its splendor back in our fold."

"We did it, Governor. Now McGarrett just needs to make it back to Hawaii without getting caught, but I have faith in him and his friends to manage that other feat."

"You're right. I wish I was able to give him an escort, or any kind of help, but my hands are tied here. After all the secrecy and the stratagems to get him free, I can't have anyone finding out that we've been helping him and the other rebels."

"There's very little chance anyone will ever find out. Not even the rebels at large know, and the fact that they had to find on their own the prison you had sent him to, even using decoys to fool them, makes sure no one will ever be the wiser."

"Let's hope so, but for now, let's just rejoice in the fact that McGarrett will soon be back home to take care of Hawaii and its people. To give them all hope."

Adam wishes he could be with the rebels right now and share in their joy. Be with the pretty Kono especially. He crossed her path a few times, thanks to Meka, and he'd really like to know her better, a lot better. He doesn't like that he can't be entirely honest with her about his involvement in the rebellion but he can't tell her everything and has to do the best with a bad situation.

But he'd also like to keep the one friend he's made since he began to work for the governor, so he gets on with what Meka told him.

"Meka also brought more perturbing news. He stayed behind when McGarrett and the others ran away, and he says the tipstaff of Fort Hohokus has been arrested for supporting the escape of a prisoner. The police say he went away on purpose on the day of the escape, and that he helped the rebels get into the prison. You need to write to Governor Delano to clear him."

Denning looks at him with something that looks like sympathy.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Adam."

"Why ?!"

"For the same reason I never clearly stated my involvement with the rebels. Because it could cost us my governorship, and we wouldn't be able to save Hawaii anymore."

"Surely, there must be a way to intercede on Williams' behalf without revealing your true colors."

"There's none, not at this time. Taking a position in favor of the man accused of freeing the leader of the rebellion would be just as damaging as stating that McGarrett is a true patriot and pardoning him."

"But Daniel…"

"I know you became fast friends with him, and that he made quite an impression on you. But I can't do anything. I'm sorry, Adam. He was always going to be the scapegoat."

"What ? You knew what would happen when you chose him ?"

"I suspected he might get into trouble."

"But he's a good man, one of the few. He cares about the prisoners, and he treats them well. What message do we send if we let him take the fall for something he had no part in ?"

"The only important message, that the crown is to be feared, and with it the governors who represent the king all over the country. We need order in the provinces. If Williams is recognized guilty of whatever crimes the police pin on him, he will become the symbol that even a war hero isn't above the king's justice when he fails to implement his will."

"And yet you wish for McGarrett's return. He and his men fought against Wo Fat's will, even when Wo Fat became governor."

"Even McGarrett will have to be controlled once he's back home. And that's part of the reason why I'm not officially supporting him."

"What would really be so bad about people knowing you support McGarrett, anyway ? They love him !"

"The people do, you're right. But the aristocrats and the rich bourgeois, the ones with the money and power, they think he's just another menace, and they won't come back to Hawaii if I seem to give him more importance than they think he deserves."

"Won't they think your police couldn't even keep him behind bars ?"

"Not _my_ police. Hence why I sent him far away, and not in any other Hawaiian prison. For those in the know – and you can bet the people with money are – Governor Delano's police are notoriously on the take, as much as he himself is. Next to him, I will look like the most respectable man ever."

Adam knows for sure that Denning is respectable. He accepts no monetary gift ; any valuable object he's offered goes to a special house he had built for this very purpose, one that everybody can visit at any time as it's all property of Hawaii, and not just the governor. Denning will leave his position poorer and older than he came to it, and that will be his master achievement.

"Does the king know ? About Daniel Williams ?"

"The king doesn't need the details, and whatever you might believe, Daniel Williams is just that, a tiny detail, compared to the future of Hawaii. The king wants me to make sure the province is healthy again as soon as possible. His deputy himself told me about the special interest his royal highness takes in Hawaii, and I intend to do my best in this endeavor."

Adam's still not convinced but he can see there's no changing the governor's mind.

"What should I tell Meka ? Is he to stay with us, or should he go back to the rebels ?"

"Find a fake mission for him and send him back to the rebels. In the absence of an escort, Meka will have to do."

That's exactly what Adam was hoping for.

Now Meka can take a message back.

\-------------

Danny spends two days in the police prison, after which an order from Governor Delano arrives that puts him in the bailiff's hands.

Danny has good reasons to fear for his life at this moment, but the bailiff doesn't even show up. Anton and Duclair are the ones escorting him to the fort, and they take great pleasure in having him pass through the entrance reserved for prisoners, where he's closely searched before they take him down the lowest levels of Fort Hohokus. To rot and be forgotten by everyone else, for sure, or maybe to be killed by some inmates who want him to pay for keeping them locked inside, back when he was the warden.

August March is one of the oldest prisoners in Hohokus. He's a hard man, one not to trifle with. Danny always tried to show him respect while keeping him apart from the most susceptible prisoners, the ones easy to influence into acting upon their most selfish and lazy ways.

When Danny gets a beating from one of the crazy prisoners, March repays Danny's years of respect by stopping the guy – not on his own, March is too old for that, but he sends his goons to take the man off of Danny.

"What do you think will happen to you if he gets his job back ?" he says to the brawler once he's secured between two burly prisoners who obey March's orders like he's royalty. "Because you know the king and all those so-called noble guys, they change their mind from one day to another. So think, for God's sake ! Think about this, what will the warden do to you when he's back at his job and he remembers you're the one who's beaten the crap out of him ?"

And just like that, Danny can see the fight leave the man's tense body. There's still enough crazy in his eyes that he doesn't trust the man not to get the jump on him if they're ever alone again, thinking that if Danny's dead he won't get back to being the warden, but right now, Danny's not in danger anymore. He doesn’t delude himself though. He knows March would kill him without mercy if he thought there was something to be gained by murdering him.

So Danny plays his part from then on. He remains aloof, almost regal, showing every other inmate that his being imprisoned doesn't make him one of them, and soon he gets his own little court – that he doesn't really trust either. He keeps offering March the respect the man thinks he's due, cultivating their alliance to make sure his protection extends over him and that few prisoners will think of turning on him, killing him before he even gets a chance to be trialed and defend himself.

Every other day, March invites him to what can only be called an audience, sipping the alcohol they've managed to smuggle, although Danny still doesn't know how. It can only be one of his former guards getting paid to pass it on, but it's never happening anywhere near him. He guesses the guards too think that he might come back someday and the less Danny knows, the better for them to keep with their little traffic, whatever happens in the future. Wardens come and go, but the guards want to keep their jobs.

They also escort him to March's cell, making sure no one ill-intentioned can get to him. He'd like to say he doesn't need such protection, but he'd be lying through his teeth, as the bruises and cuts all over his body can attest. Not many prisoners try to get a go at him, but the ones who do are vicious and perseverant. They always seem to find the one time in the day when there's no guards or _trusty_ inmates with him. So Danny actually enjoys his time away from the rest of the prison's population, in March and his cronies' presence.

The conversation is usually weirdly stimulating. Not at all what he had with Steve, he thinks wistfully at times, but interesting anyway. The men are more open with him now, and he begins to see a side of them they never revealed before. Beginning with March himself.

"You're the only one who never made a joke about my parents' stupid sense of humor when they named me."

"Oh, don't you worry your balding white head, I just kept it in store for a rainy day. I can make it anytime."

For all he's depending on his good will, Danny's not about to become real friends with March either. The man is a killer, a very dangerous one. He may have mellowed with age, what with being the longest-immured prisoner here in Hohokus, but it doesn't mean he's not still capable of terrible things. More so, Danny doesn't want to compromise his ideals because he's now in the wrong place with the wrong people. He won't give his enemies the pleasure of seeing him crumple after a few weeks in jail. And then he's got this certainty that March needs him strong to offer him help. The minute Danny shows weakness will be the moment March will kill him.

So Danny walks the tightrope between respect and loftiness and prays that he won't stumble down.

\-------------

Steve won't calm down.

It took him a few days to get Nick to admit to leaving a letter in Danny's office. He said it was to send potential pursuers off their trail, that the subterfuge won't hold water for long, and that a warden as well noted as Williams won't get in trouble for such a thing. Not really, and not for long.

But Steve's not sure. He knows Hesse hates Danny as much as he hates Steve himself. He keeps thinking about the way he left him in, tied up and naked, that means Hesse will look for someone to get back at. Danny's a perfect target.

He's learned about the search that occurred all over the country when his friends were looking for him, the months they spent scouting different provinces looking for one prisoner whose name was kept a secret, and how they finally narrowed down their search to one prison.

"From someone close to the new governor, we got that tip saying that you were not in Haweila anymore," Kono explains, "that Denning had you sent to a northern prison, but not which one. So we set about to search for you, spending a few weeks here, and a few weeks there, meeting with guards under a disguise and trying to make them talk about their special prisoners, and then going up farther north with each new disappointment. Until the day when, disguised as a salesman at the market, Lou got to talk with the Hohokus warden and sold him a book about Hawaii. It wasn't much, but it was the best clue we ever had."

Steve remembers the heavy and probably pricy book, more like a peace offering from Danny to him. He remembers what happened after, Danny's kisses, the love bigger than both of them that they share. His fingers move on their own volition, looking for Danny's skin, his warmth and passion. But once again he realizes he's alone, even among all those long-time friends.

"Then I put myself in one Anton Hesse's way," Lou continues. "I managed to get him to talk, not only about his edifying theory about the right way to get prisoners to behave, but also about the warden's way to… treat you."

"What do you mean ? You think Danny _raped_ me ?!"

"Boss," Tani interferes, "there's no shame in…"

"There's no shame," Steve cuts her, "because there was no rape. I was the one who seduced him, and that was because we fell in love. He's turned his life upside down to take care of me, got into an ongoing conflict with his second in command who was the one treating me badly as soon as Danny went back home to see his kids."

"Don't you think you might have confused gratefulness and love then ?" Nick offers, trying to placate him. "That you didn't give it up to him only because he was more cunning about it than anyone else ?"

"Don't you dare belittle what we feel for each other ! I know all about being treated like a slave, beaten and abused day after day. I know the difference."

They've had variations on this first conversation ever since, and the farther south they ride, the heavier Steve's heart becomes. He wants his friends to get to know Danny, to see for themselves and experience all the love the man carries inside himself behind his prickly appearance and the hot temper he often has a hard time hiding really well. So he's taken to tell about him every chance he gets.

To Lou.  
"Danny complains all the time how cumbersome being knighted really is. He has to make an effort every hour of every day to keep the appearance of a gentleman, when he says himself he's a hothead about to explode when confronted with stupidity."

To Chin.  
"Danny cares about his prisoners. He's taught some of them how to read and count. He talks with them and he listens, gives advice and supports those who truly want to turn their lives around, even after they get out of prison."

To Kono.  
"Danny's a fantastic father. He's so proud of his kids, he'd write sonnets about them if he had any talent in this area. He told me again and again how smart his little girl is, and that it's such a shame she won't be able to do anything about it in this world we're living in."

To Nick.  
"Danny single-handedly won the war when he caught General Hirsch. He never boasts about it, but his men do, because they love and admire him. Without Danny, the war might have lasted longer, maybe even gone down to Hawaii instead of being contained up north. Many deaths were averted thanks to his courage."

And so on.

At first, they all smirk, listening to him like they would a petulant child. Like Steve needs a bit of time before being back to himself, and they all indulge him because they think he's earned it. They don't understand how empty he feels right now and his certainty that only Danny could make it better.

Meka joins them back later on, directly coming from Dakota where the new governor and his deputy, Adam Noshimuri – the man his friends like to call Kono's boyfriend to make her blush bright – are visiting right now to try and get financial help to replenish Hawaii's coffers. Steve doesn't know Meka very well, but his rebel friends seem to trust him with their lives, so he's ready to trust him too.

Ready to listen when Meka asks for a private talk on the unending road back home, but also more than ready to ask questions about this new governor who saved Steve's life by sending him far away from Haweila. Unwittingly, it may seem, but Steve knows better now thanks to Chin, the only one in on the secret inside the rebellion. Not even Nick is aware ; Denning doesn't trust him, according to Chin.

"I don't know him that well," Meka says, "I don't get to see him often."

"Come on," Steve insists. "You're the personal assistant of the governor's personal assistant. You have to hear and see things no one else does."

"Sometimes, yes, but not that much. I'm only one of Noshimuri's assistants, and he often sends me on missions like this one, that he doesn't want the governor to know about, so he keeps me fairly apart to make sure I won't spill secrets I shouldn't."

Clearly, Meka doesn't know either about Denning's real involvement in the rebellion if Noshimuri has to tell him the governor is kept in the dark.

"Fair enough," he acknowledges. "Then what's Noshimuri's opinion about Denning ?"

"Good. Very good, even. He thinks Denning's only purpose is to protect the people of Hawaii and make sure they live healthy and in peace. That he gives it all to erase any traces of Wo Fat's stranglehold over the province. And from what I've seen so far, he's doing a good job. There's a lot to be done, but I think he'll get there eventually, if the king gives him the time to do it. And we need you to work simultaneously on ground level. Wo Fat's influence is still long-lasting. Tax collectors, for instance, collect directly to their pockets more than they deliver to the provincial safety boxes. We need to remind them of their duty or send them packing."

"I intend to do that."

"Lou seems to think your heart's not in it anymore ?"

Steve sighs.

"Lou's not entirely wrong. I will do what I must but… Are you married, Meka ? Or do you love someone that you wish were with you at all times ?"

"I'm married. Her name's Amy, and we have a son together. She's taking care of him at the camp, so I don't see her nearly enough when I'm on a mission, but I always do my best to get back to her. Noshimuri knows how much I miss her, so he always gives to me the messages he needs to send to Taylor or anyone else at the camp."

"Anyone else like Kono, maybe ?"

That makes Meka smile.

"I won't betray any confidence."

They ride silently for a few moments, until Meka seems to gather the courage to say what he asked to talk to Steve for.

"Pardon me if I'm being too straight, but I guess the person you were alluding to is Warden Williams, right ?"

Steve spares him a quick look and nods, wary of another attempt at blackening Danny's reputation.

"Noshimuri gave me a special message, one he said to confide in you only after I told him what I knew. The warden has been arrested because of your escape. The police say they have proof he was an accessory in your taking flight. Williams is to stand trial in the next month."

\-------------

Danny's still recovering from a rather intense fistfight when the guards show up and bring him to a meeting room. He's reeling with a light concussion so it's no wonder he first believes he's having an hallucination when he takes in the face and voice of his visitor.

"Danny ? Oh my God, what did they do to you ?!"

The man walks the distance between them and takes his badly bruised face in hand to get a better look at him. Through the one eye he can open, Danny has to come to the conclusion that it's really his brother standing there, so close he could touch him too.

"Matty ? What the hell are you doing here ?"

"Well, you might remember your little brother is a lawyer. Unless you not remembering is the reason why you never sent for me ?"

"How did you find out about me ? The bailiff took great care to bury me down in the deepest levels of Hohokus to make sure no one would come and spring me out, or even give me a reason to hope !"

"You stopped writing to the kids regularly, never explained that incident with Charlie, and Melissa alerted the parents when you didn’t show up home for your next visit. It’s not like you to miss out on your time with Grace and Charlie, so the folks knew something bad must have happened and they contacted me immediately. I asked a few friends in good places, and here I am !"

Danny can't resist any longer. He reaches for his little brother for a hug that makes him feel instantly better and guilty at the same time.

"I don’t want you to get in trouble because you helped me," he says when they separate.

But Matty looks quite smug and happy to reason with his worrywart big brother.

"I can’t get in trouble for doing my job. And I don’t think you bothered with that kind of consideration in the army, when you were risking your life every day to be able to send some money home. The only trouble I might be able to find here is because I am your brother, so I should as well make sure your innocence is proved, right ?"

Danny shuts up, unable to find a counter argument. Matty has always been smarter than him. Or at least more learned and cunning, less regarding of the "right way" to get things done. And in this world they're living in, he's sadly right. The Williamses at large could suffer the consequences of Danny's fall, in the same natural way his advancement and fortune was theirs too. The fact that they're a loyal bunch who won't even think of dissociating from him, should the worst happen, is not such a cheering idea when he thinks about what could happen to all those people he loves, his kids first and foremost, if he's found guilty and then hanged in his very own prison's courtyard.

"So what do you say, big brother ?" Matty wrenches him back to the here and now, far from bleak images of Gracie and Charlie living in the street, dirty and famished, abandoned by everyone. "Time to put to good use those studies you helped pay for ?"

"If you put it like that..."

He’s always been unable to deny those he loves. He grumbles and he rants, but he caves in the end. Be it Grace or Charlie, Rachel or Matty, and now Steven...

At the mention of Steven, Danny’s heart painfully lurches, pretty sure by now that his feelings have always been mostly one-sided. Sure, Steven was grateful for his help, but anyone would have looked good and kind after what he lived through, down in Haweila. Danny shouldn't have mistaken gratefulness for love.

He’ll never see Steve again, better accept it already and put all his hopes on Matt.

\-------------

The row with Nick that follows Meka's news about Danny's arrest and upcoming trial is intense and nearly comes to blows when Steve announces that he's going back north. Nick says he'll tie him up if need be, but that they'll keep going south. Fortunately, his other friends rally behind Steve and support his decision.

From this point on, Steve thinks fast. The heavy mud in which he's felt himself sinking ever since he left Hohokus behind suddenly drains away and he knows exactly what needs to be done.

They split up into two groups as soon as they are back in Jersey, right in Mercer county, which takes far too many days for Steve's liking since they couldn't use the good roads. Chin and Lou go straight back to Hohokus, while Steve and their other friends make way towards Newark. Steve knows that Danny's first instinct would be to take his kids somewhere safe and that's what he intends to do for him before he goes to the prison and saves him by whatever means necessary. In the meanwhile, Chin and Lou will keep an ear to the ground and alert him if he needs to join them immediately.

Danny's house is easy enough to find with the description Danny made of it. It's also far too easy to get into, but that's a discussion he'll keep for another day, once Danny and him are reunited, living in Steve's camp, far from any danger.

Something settles deep inside himself when Steve sees the unmistakable traces of a house being packed to move. Danny didn't lie, he really wanted to move his family up to Hohokus or Mahwah, to be able to stay with him at all times. Protect him from Hesse and his friends. For a moment there, Steve doesn't know what to do with that, close to suffocating with the weight of such love, wondering how he inspired this in the heart of a man who had no reason to believe in a prisoner at the end of his rope.

A shout of fear brings him back to the present, coming from a pretty woman who walks back slowly, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the people invading the house.

"Melissa ?" Steve asks. "You're Melissa, right ? Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you. I came for the children."

Then a teenager appears, putting himself between the woman and Steve.

"I won’t let you take them. Uncle Danny would kill me."

"Then I guess you're Eric ? It’s alright, you know," Steve says, trying to appear non-threatening. "We’re here to take them where they'll be safe. I'm Steve, your uncle's friend."

"I know who you are, Uncle Danny told us about you. He thought you were a good man, that he could trust you. I could see how much he cared for you, but you betrayed him and you put him in this terrible situation and now they’re going to kill him so I’m not going to make it easy for you ! You’ll have to kill me too if you want to take my cousins away."

"As you wish, kid," Nick says, coming from behind, and he hit Eric’s head hard with the handle of his blade.

"Nick !" Steve yells too late, his shout covered by Melissa's as they watch Eric fall down to the ground.

Melissa drops to her knees next to the young man to make sure he's just unconscious.

"Why did you do that ?!" Steve accuses Nick. "He’s just a kid, a brave one standing up to us adults. And he’s like my own nephew now."

Nick shakes his head in disappointment.

"Well, your nephew is delaying us, which puts us all in danger the longer we stay here."

"If you're so afraid, you can go. But I'll take Danny's kids to safety if that's the last thing I do. So you do as I say or you can go back home right now. This kid is under my protection, make sure you won’t forget it again."

The battle of wills that follows is intense once again as they look right into each other’s eyes and neither of them wants to give up. But Steve didn’t make it this far to let himself be impressed by a friend. His ability to keep those kids safe is the proof that he’ll be able to do the same for Danny, and there’s nothing he wants more in this world. Danny might hate him right now for destroying his life, but he’ll be alive and safe, and his family too. So he doesn’t back down and Nick is the one who looks down first.

"Melissa," Steve turns back to the woman who watches them with big, round eyes. "Please trust me. I want to take Grace and Charlie somewhere safe, so I can go and help Danny, save him if the worst happens. But I need your help. Tell me where the kids are, and I can take you too if you want."

"What about Eric ?"

"I'd be happy to protect him too."

"Protect us from whom ? For all I know, you're the dangerous ones. This one," she indicates Nick, "he forced me to write the letter that put Sir Williams in trouble. Why would I trust you now ?"

"Because this was not my idea. My friends wanted to help me escape the prison, and they didn't know how Danny protected me. But they didn't hurt the kids or you, did they ? They just wanted to get Danny far away so that they could get into the prison and set me free. Don't you think Danny would be happy to know I'm here for him when he needs it most ?"

"I guess, but it doesn't mean I have to trust you with the kids' lives anyway."

Steve is beginning to lose patience with the woman. Possibly the jealousy he's always felt about her is also showing now that he can see she's really pretty and just as defensive of Danny and his children as he himself is.

"Listen, I don't have time to convince you. I have to be on my way to Hohokus to see how I can set Danny free, so please tell me where the kids are."

"She won't," a new voice challenges him.

Steve turns and puts himself before Melissa, pistol held high at the intruder. He finds himself in front of Duke and Nahele, and neither of them look happy to see him.

"They're not here," Nahele adds, "and they have us to protect them, so either you turn yourself in or you can go right now."

"I'm glad to see you !" Steve says as he lowers his pistol. "You know of my relationship with Danny. You have to know I would do anything to help him."

That gets Duke to walk up to him, pistol also lowered even if Steve's friends still take aim at them.

"I know nothing of the sort, not anymore, not after the warden was arrested and Nahele and I fired because of you. I had faith in you, McGarrett. I had heard about your fight, and I believed in what you did. I even thought now and then about joining your crew, talked about it with my wife. I didn't know who you were when we tended to you in prison, and it made no difference to me, because the warden thought you were a good man who deserved our help. But I see you now for who you are. You threw Williams to the wolves. He took care of you and nursed you back to health. You would be dead if not for him, and you repaid him by having him arrested and put in jail in your place."

"No, Duke, that’s..."

"That’s Sergeant Lukela to you."

"Duke," Steve insists, "I swear to you I didn’t want this. And that’s why I came back, because I love him just like he loves me. I’m gonna save him or die trying. I swear to you, Danny will be freed soon, not dead."

He can see Duke wavering, and Nahele seems almost convinced.

"What do you intend to do ?" Duke asks.

"I have two men in Hohokus already, ready to alert me if need be. But first, I want to put the kids out of danger in case the Hesse brothers or Duclair follow through with their threats."

"They threatened the children ?"

"In the clearest way. Hesse told me once that if I ever revealed to Danny what they had done to me they would take it out on the kids, that it would be easy since they lived with a woman only. I've never said anything, but it would still be far too easy for them to hurt Grace and Charlie and then tell Danny, to push him to do something stupid that will condemn him before he even gets his trial. You know how explosive he can be."

There's a faint trace of smile on both guards' faces at the mention of Danny's volatile temper. They definitely know about it too, however much Danny tried to hide this part of his personality ever since he was appointed tipstaff of the Hohokus prison.

"Where do you want to take them ?" Duke wonders, and Steve feels some of his tension loosen up.

"Down in Hawaii. At least until we know what the court will decide about Danny. If they declare him guilty, I'll do my best to get him out and then take him too to my camp in Hawaii. If he's discharged, then he'll be able to choose where he wants to stay, and I'll bring the kids back to him if he wants to stay in Jersey."

Which would break his heart but now is not the time for such a thought.

Duke briefly turns to Nahele for a silent conversation.

"We will tell you where the kids are," Duke finally relents, "but only if you take us with you, so that we can protect them. Especially if you go back to Hohokus. We don't know your friends. Just that they like to scare women into writing damning letters."

"Fair enough !" Steve readily accepts. "Your help will be very much welcome."

"I'm coming too," Eric announces from the place where he's still lying down on the floor.

"And you won't go anywhere without me if you intend to take the kids," Melissa adds. "They're too young to leave with you all, they need the woman who daily takes care of them."

There's a challenge in her eyes, and it's all for Steve. She wants him to know that she loves those children and Steve's place in Danny's heart can't change that. And frankly, he's happy about it. He doesn't want Grace and Charlie to suffer from the changes in their father's life. He'd rather be another adult they can count on.

"I'm okay with that," he says, "now take the kids and let's go. Nick is right that we're in more danger as long as we stay here."

"Only one problem with that. The kids aren't here."

"Where are they ?"

"We didn't wait for you to get the kids to safety," Melissa goads him. "Sir Williams gave us orders when he realized my letter was written under duress."

"Where are they ?" Steve repeats, gritting his teeth before he becomes too forceful.

The silence is thick with the tension and mistrust in the room, the weapons still at the ready if not raised to aim at someone else. And then Steve remembers Danny telling him about his first settler neighbors, how he had befriended some of them who came regularly to check on his family in his absence.

"They're with the settlers, right ? Danny told me about them, that he's friends with them. He would trust them to keep his children safe and not many people would think about looking for them out there."

He watches Melissa's face fall, which is as much of an answer as a clear yes.

"Okay," Nick says, "let's go. Show us the way."

The words are meant for Lukela but it's Nahele who agrees and leads the way. Eric's back on his feet and he gives Nick a wide berth when they go to the door.

"Kono, while we go fetch Grace and Charlie, you help Melissa with packing clothes for the kids and Danny for a long trip, as well as any food left."

"Sure, boss, but won't you need me if anything goes wrong ?"

"Nothing will go wrong. We take the kids and we come back here. That way we can go as soon as we're back, and I'm sure you'll protect Melissa if anything happens while we're gone. Just be prepared to move on."

"Alright."

"I didn't agree to stay behind," Melissa begins to protest, but Kono stops her immediately.

"You heard Steve," she says. "We need to be ready to go, so show me where the clothes are, and anything you think Danny will need, and we'll get ready, okay ?"

Melissa sends a last unimpressed look at Steve before she relents and follows Kono inside the corridor leading to the rooms. This is why Steve asked her rather than Tani. He knew she'd have a calming effect on someone like Melissa.

The settlers' village isn't that far, but night had fallen as they spoke and the path is treacherous, even for the horses.

In their effort not to trip, they're not quite as attentive as they should be and get surrounded at the turn of the road, long before they arrive at the place they're looking for.

Steve orders everyone to lower their weapon to avoid any trouble with the men he needs to convince they can let him take the children to safety somewhere far from here.

"Duke, are you okay ?" one of the settlers asks. Who are these people ?"

"They're friends of Danny's," Nahele answers.

"I'm Steve, Danny's lover," Steve introduces himself after he's dismounted to speak with the settlers on an even level.

He hoped to gain some amount of trust with these words, but he's surprised to get a true grin and a firm handshake.

"Loverboy !" the same man greets him. "How did you like the shrimps ?"

"You were the one catching them for Danny ?" he asks, surprised and a little guilty.

"I was. My name is Yamada, I'm a friend of Danny's. Come, Loverboy, you're going to share our dinner tonight."

Yamada and the other settlers begin to move towards their village and Steve can only follow them, ordering his men to dismount and follow too before he turns back to the original settler.

"I'd love to share your meal, but we're here on pressing business. You know Danny has been arrested ?"

"Duke told us. We don't believe the accusations to be true, even though you did escape."

"I did, but Danny never did anything illegal. What I fear is that his enemies will come after his children because they know it's the best way to hurt him. My friends and I, we're going to do everything we can to get Danny out of prison if he's not released after his trial, but we need to get Grace and Charlie to safety first. We want to take them to my land, down in Hawaii."

"We will discuss this during dinner. Come."

It's not often that Steve finds himself faced with someone more stubborn than him, but he can feel there's no forcing the issue right now. And he needs to get to the kids anyway, which means he needs Yamada to trust him enough to take him to them. No doubt Yamada and the other settlers carry weapons, well concealed ones – Steve's pretty sure Danny wouldn't ask men incapable of defending themselves and their own families to take care of his children. So he lets them lead his merry band to the village.

The place is charming. The constructions look fragile and ancient, sure sign that they've contended with the abuse of time and even more assaults from nature, but still stand proud, as a statement about the character of the people who built them. It tells Steve a lot about Danny's friends and he's pretty sure they will be able to come to an understanding.

Through a sliding door that's simply invisible to those not in the know, Yamada lets them into one of the charming cottages that seem to be posed here and there, without real intent or a masterplan to create a well-thought village. The summer night's scents follow them into the house, flowery and warm, added to the perfume Yamada's wife brings with her as she approaches to greet them all.

"Our meal is simple, Loverboy. Since you like shrimps, we will share with you our catch of the day."

Steve feels somewhat guilty at this point.

"I have a confession to make," he tells Yamada. "I never tasted the ones Danny brought back for me. I was sick when he came back to the prison, and I just couldn't eat."

"In this case, you will appreciate all the more tonight's offering. Danny would be happy for you to enjoy your meal."

"You're right, he would. And I'm thankful for your invitation. Sharing with you is an honor for us."

His companions approve and thank Yamada in their turn, before they all settle on some of the throw pillows that literally litter the floor of what seems to be the dinner area and they start eating as soon as Yamada's wife brings portions of shrimps to each of them, beginning with Steve, before she returns to the corner of the room to prepare new portions for anyone still hungry.

They make small talk for a while, comparing Jersian and Hawaiian customs and thoroughly enjoying the simple but tasty meal, before Kuroda, Danny's other friend, comes and joins them to discuss the matter of Danny's children.

The children who follow him, looking at the group of strangers invading Yamada's house with round eyes and ill-concealed excitement.

"Since you wish to take Danny's children with you, you need to tell them why and where."

Steve is taken aback. Danny told him about this, but he's not used to a culture where the children's opinions are so important, their advice and understanding sought for everything that concerns them. But he rallies quickly and decides to give it a try.

"Gracie, Charlie," he addresses the kids, kneeling in front of them to stand closer to their height, "I'm Steve, your father's friend."

Grace's face seems to lighten up.

"You're Steven ?! The Steven from Hawaii ?"

Steve nods and smiles at the same time.

"Danno talks about you all the time," Charlie says, making Steve laugh even as he ignores his own friends' snickers.

"I bet he does," he agrees with Charlie. "Danno talks a lot, doesn't he ?"

"He showed us Hawaii in the big book. He says you say it's pretty out there."

"It is pretty. There're flowers and trees everywhere, and it's almost always sunny and warm. No snow like here in winter. And the people are very nice. Would you like to go and see it for yourself ?"

"Yes, Mr. Steven," Grace says. "But you need to ask Danno if he's okay too."

"You know, you can call me just Steve if you want. Or maybe… Uncle Steve. Your daddy and I, we're very close, I'm sure he'd be okay with that."

"I'd like that," Grace approves shyly, while Charlie is a lot more outspoken and uses the privilege right away.

"Where's Daddy, Uncle Steve ?"

"He's at the prison right now," he answers vaguely, hoping the little boy will believe all is as usual and that his father is still working, not arrested.

And then he remembers that Yamada and Kuroda expect him to explain the whole mess to the children.

"Come sit with me," he says.

The children join him against the wall, sitting on each side of Steve who puts his arms around their shoulders to make sure they don't feel more afraid than they should. It might be a good thing in the end to have them conscious of the danger and ready to act appropriately.

"Did your dad tell you that we met in his prison ?"

"Yes," Grace confirms. "He said you were one of his prisoners."

"That's right, I was. And did he tell you why ?"

"No. I asked and he said it was a secret."

"That's right too. But I can tell you. You see, before I was sent here in Jersey, when I was still in Hawaii, I used to fight a very bad man called Wo Fat who was hurting people and stealing all they had, just so he could get richer and more powerful."

"Did you kill him ?" Charlie asks.

"No, I didn't. I tried to get all the help I could, and that's how I ended up walking into the governor's mansion to try and meet with Governor Jameson. I wanted him to help us in our fight, but when I arrived, the governor had been killed already. The soldiers found me leaning over his body and they arrested me because they thought I was a murderer."

"So they sent you to Dad !" Charlie cuts his story short.

"Not at that moment. The bad man I was fighting against, he became the new governor, and he was more powerful than ever. Because of him, I spent two years in a horrible, horrible place where I became very sick, and I lost all desire to live. But then there was a miracle, Wo Fat disappeared, and a new governor was appointed, who sent me to your dad."

"Yeah !" Charlie shouts, completely entranced with Steve's retelling.

"You're right, Charlie. Danno took care of me, he gave me a reason to live and fight again, and I fell in love with him. But there were also three bad men in his prison, who thought they could do all they wanted, just because they are more powerful than the prisoners. They wanted to hurt me, but Danno didn't let them, so he became their enemy too."

"But Danno protected you anyway," Grace guesses.

"As much as he could, until the day I escaped thanks to my friends here."

"Is Danno in trouble now, Uncle Steve ?" she asks, miserable.

"He is, and I want to do for him just as he did for me. Protect him and make sure no one else can hurt him. But I know the first thing he'd want me to do is to take you somewhere his enemies can't reach you."

"Is Danno gonna be there ?" Charlie wonders.

"Not at first, but soon, I hope."

"Are you going to take us to Oahu ?" Grace guesses once more.

Steve smiles at her, pleased to see yet again how much Danny told his children about him and his former life.

"That's what I'd like. Would you be okay with that ? You wouldn't be alone, Eric and Melissa told me they want to come with you too."

"But Danno would join us soon ?"

"As soon as possible, I promise."

"Okay, then."

"Really ? And what about you, Charlie ? You want to go on a big adventure with us all ?"

"Yes ! I wanna ride to 'Ahu and fight the bad man !"

"Attaboy ! So it's settled, we're going to Oahu."

Everything is easier once the kids have made their decision. Everyone is swept up by Steve's attitude, responding to his every order, and it feels good to be the one in charge once more.

The kids are a delight. Steve finds himself tracking in them every little detail reminding him of Danny. It makes his heart ache with want for his lover, but it also gives him strength for the upcoming fight. He might have doubts about whether Danny will want to have anything to do with him once his name is cleared, but Steve will be happy to be able to give their father back to Grace and Charlie.

They leave right after the dinner with two unexpected companions. Yamada and Kuroda declare quietly that Danny entrusted his children to their care so, as much as they might trust Steve and his friends, it doesn't mean they feel free to let the kids go unsupervised. They will travel with them until such time as they are satisfied that Grace and Charlie are safe, preferably reunited with their father. They intend to pack light and will be right after Steve and his men, joining with them before the night is over and they need to leave once and for all.

They're midway between the village and Danny's house when they're ambushed by two men on horses aiming their guns at them. It's too dark to see the men's features, the road lit up only by the lamp attached to the cart the children are traveling in, driven by Eric, but Steve immediately recognizes a voice he'd hoped never to hear again.

"Well, well. Look what we got here, Duclair," Anton Hesse says. "An escaped convict, rebels from Hawaii, and two oh-so vulnerable children. We're lucky, aren't we ?"

"Absolutely, Vidame," Duclair answers in the same detached way. "I guess God wanted us to catch the missing prisoner and the corrupt warden's children."

The second guard comes out of the shadows right behind the group, cutting off any possible retreat. Then he orders them to dismount and gather in the middle of the dirt road. Considering the pistols aimed at Grace and Charlie, Steve decides the odds are not in his favor and complies, signaling to his friends to do the same.

Steve soon feels a small hand searching for his and he looks down to see that Grace has come closer to him, seeking protection. Immediately, he squeezes back.

"Uncle Steve, why is he saying that Daddy's corrupt ? What does it mean ?"

"Nothing, Gracie," he says, trying to project confidence for her sake and Charlie's. "He's just jealous so he pretends that your dad has done something wrong, but it's not true."

"Come on, Steven," Anton picks up on his denial, "it's a sad, desperate man who lies to children."

"And it's a devious, black-hearted one who steals and lies and then accuses the people around him of his faults."

"I'm not lying. Why would Williams be in jail if I was ?"

"Because you and your brother have the ear of Governor Delano and you will stop at nothing to get your revenge."

"You're right about one thing. Governor Delano is our friend. Believe me when I say he'll do everything he can to ensure Williams is hung high before the next moon."

"No !" Grace shouts, ready to run at Hesse to attack him.

It's only Steve's firm grip on her hand that keeps her from doing it, but he can feel how much she fights despite his shush, goaded by Hesse who laughs all the more at seeing her so riled up and powerless.

"Do you want to see your daddy again, Gracie ?" Anton proposes. "I can make it happen, you know ? You just have to come with me."

Steve feels the little girl wavering, and he takes a look at Charlie to make sure he's still half-asleep in Lou's arms.

"Don't listen to him, Grace. That's not what you father would want you to do."

He can feel her doubt, her need to see her father and how much she wants to believe Hesse. So he scoops her up to keep her in his arms, ready to protect her in any way.

"I promise you, Gracie. This man is one of the persons who want to hurt your Danno, and if you go with him, he will hurt you to hurt him. Please, I need you to stay with me and my friends."

"Hello !" Hesse reminds them of his presence. "Man with a pistol here. Aimed at your head. So you really don't have much choice, Steven, whatever you try to tell the kids."

Right at this moment, creeping up from the deep shadows offered by the trees where he managed to hide without anyone realizing it, Junior throws himself at Hesse and gets him off his horse. The man falls down to the ground, heavily, with a fearful scream highlighting how unused he is to a fair fight. Tani comes to Junior's assistance, kicking Anton hard between the legs when he tries to stand and grab her. The man howls in pain as she looks down at him with scary satisfaction.

Steve reacts quickly, looking for someone to care for Grace and finding Duke next to him who takes the little girl in his arms and backs away instantly, back turned to the bad guys, to hide among the trees, mirroring Lou's actions seconds before with Charlie. Free to fight back, Steve gets out of the flimsy protection of Hesse's horse to find himself faced with Duclair's pistol. He's saved by his quick reaction, ducking just in time to avoid the bullet, and then fires his own weapon by instinct.

Duclair's not as lucky as him, the bullet hits him square in the chest. With a hiccup, Duclair's eyes grow big as they look down at himself and the dark stain expanding over his white uniform, and then he topples over, sliding from his horse's back to fall to the ground in his turn.

Dead.

"Jason !" Anton hisses, watching his fallen friend from where he's still protecting his groin with both hands from Tani's fury.

It's all very anticlimactic, the fight over almost as it began, and Steve feels strangely bereft. He wants to punch and hit, give the two men a lesson for what they did to him, the way they treated him like a slave. Show them that going after a free man is not as easy as humiliating a prisoner with no way to retaliate. But he watches as Junior and Tani force Hesse back to his feet and tie him up.

"What do you want us to do with him, sir ?" Junior asks.

He was never able to get Junior to stop with the honorary titles and call him Steve just like everyone else. It used to annoy him a little bit, but for a moment here, he's glad. It's the proof that his time in hell didn't change anything for his people. They're still loyal to him, they still think he's the one who will succeed in making their dreams come true.

"Gag him, and we'll take him with us to make sure he won't be a problem anymore."

"We could get rid of him once and for all," Nick suggests.

"Not like that. And he needs to learn how it feels to be deprived of freedom."

Nick isn't happy with his solution but Steve can't care less. If this is the only lesson Steve can teach this man, their _prisoner_ , he'll make sure it sticks. Anton Hesse will never be a good man, but it feels right to get the roles reversed and not abuse the power Steve's suddenly given over him.

"Duke, Lou, it's over, you can come out," he turns towards the woods as Nick and Junior lift Duclair's body and put him over his horse.

They'll have to find a discreet place to bury him, somewhere far enough from the village so that the original settlers won't be questioned if the body is ever found, nor Danny's family. Certainly, the vidame and his goon have made enough enemies among the population of Newark that there will be no shortage of potential culprits for the police to attribute the crime to. But hopefully, enough time will pass that the body won't be recognizable anymore and Duclair's memory will fade away forever.

They disrobe him of his uniform and make sure they leave nothing on him that would help make him recognizable. Then Steve sends Nick, Junior and Chin with Nahele to lead them to a burial place. He's pretty sure his men will show Duclair's corpse more respect than he'd ever have in their position and it's nothing but pride he feels to be leading them all. Even Nick, who shows more and more clearly how much and often he disagrees with Steve's decisions.

Steve guesses the daunting task Nick had to shoulder after his arrest gives him the right, from his point of view, to question those decisions. But he's not about to let this attitude go unnoticed for long. He likes to take advice from his men, but when all's said and done, he's the one in charge. If he needs to remind Nick of that fact, he will.

"Very well," he says, turning to those still here, "let's go back to Danny's."

They get there quickly enough. At some point, Charlie wakes up in Lou's arms and asks – or rather demands – that Steve hold him. Amusement written all over his face, Lou passes the child to him and seems happy enough to be rid of the weight he's been supporting for a while. Steve smiles back at him, happy enough himself that Charlie didn't realize much of what happened. Danny's going to be pissed already about the whole mess, he doesn't need to add two traumatized kids to the list of his faults to be forgiven for.

Grace is another matter, eyes wide open, constantly looking around for danger. She knows that a man died a few minutes ago, that they were all in danger of meeting the same fate, and there's nothing Steve wouldn't do right now to get her dad back and make sure she stops being scared.

As soon as they get home and after he kisses the sleepy head, Steve passes Charlie on to Melissa so that she puts him to bed. They will leave soon, but the children need to sleep for a little while. Grace looks at him, as if understanding that Steve's not going to be there when she wakes up, and Steve does his best to comfort her, kneeling once again to take her in his arms.

"You're leaving without us, aren't you ?" she asks.

"I'm going to look for Danno, Gracie. You and Charlie, you're going with my friends, they'll take good care of you. I need you to be brave and to remember something for me. If you meet people who ask questions, you have to say that Tani and Junior are your parents, okay ? That they adopted you when your parents died. Can you do that for me ? For Danno ? So that I can tell him not to worry about you when I see him again ?"

He's being manipulative, but it can be helped. He would pretend the children are his if he went with them, but Tani and Junior will make for a good replacement. They'll fight to death to protect them, of that he's sure. And they won't be alone. Duke – who's left already to get his wife ready to travel back with him down to Hawaii – and Nahele will join them, as well as Yamada and Kuroda. Melissa and Eric will be there too, probably a dead weight in case of any problem, but they'll keep the children from worrying too much.

If such a motley crew doesn't raise unwanted attention, they stand a fair chance to make it to Hawaii peacefully. Steve can't say the same about the group he leads back to Hohokus.

\-------------

Royal Deputy White enters the king's rooms, the sentries moving their crossed halberds to let him pass without question

He's been doing this for so many years. The sentries have changed, and the king too, but he's still here.

Some have said that a man in his position is more powerful than even the king, and they're not completely wrong. For he knows secrets that would put an end to the monarchy if he were so inclined as to divulge them. But he's loyal, by nature and by principle, and his secrets will march with him to the tomb that will someday become his last home. Hopefully, that day won't come for a long, long time.

"Majesty," he salutes, bending in two to show the respect he feels in front of the king, "pardon my intrusion but I'm coming with news you'll want to hear."

"Go on," the king answers, mask on and not taking his eyes from the reports he's reading.

"McGarrett has escaped."

That gets the king's full attention.

"Steve ?"

"Steve," Joe confirms. "A few days ago. It's unclear what really happened, but the police are investigating and the Hohokus tipstaff has been arrested for collusion with the enemy. He's suspected of having helped in the escape and will stand trial soon."

"Why would the warden of a prison help one of his prisoners escape ?"

"It is rumored that the two of them were in a relationship. An intimate one."

"Has anyone any idea of where the escaped convict is ?"

"It seems not. Soldiers have been sent to look for him and the rebels, but to no avail."

The king takes in the surprising news and thinks for a few seconds.

"We'll leave for Hohokus in two days. I want to speak with the warden. In the meanwhile, make sure no one tortures him badly to get information he probably doesn't have. And that the trial is kept private."

"I've already sent the order ruling out any torture, my liege. Do you want me to increase the patrols looking for Steve ?"

"No. I have a feeling he'll be there at the trial. If he's still true to himself, he'll do everything in his power to get his lover back. Gather enough soldiers to come with us. They will catch Steve."

"It will be done, Majesty."

Joe bends once more in front of the king who's already back at his reading and then leaves the royal apartments.

He knows they have obligations that can't be dismissed but two days is gonna be a long time before they can leave for Hohokus.

\-------------

The room the trial takes place in is narrow and oppressive, but then it doesn't need a bigger one. This is a closed hearing, where only judges, lawyer and clerk, as well as accused and witnesses will be invited. The crown deemed it better for the whole affair to remain a secret, in keeping with Steven's imprisonment, and Danny has a very bad feeling about this.

"The honorable Juror Coughlin will preside over this court, assisted by Juror Maxwell and Juror Edwards. This session is now open."

The clerk sits back down, taking his feather in hand to start taking notes at the first word of the president. But Matty doesn't let them have the quiet session they might have hoped for.

"Your honor," he says, "we'd like Juror Edwards to recuse himself."

"On what grounds, Counselor ?" Juror Coughlin wonders.

"Family ties. Mr. Edwards had ties with my client's late wife. It is well known that he resents Mr. Williams for marrying the woman he wanted too, thus making his judgment corrupted before trial."

"You yourself are Mr. Williams' brother," Edwards intervenes. "Should we believe your own judgment to be corrupted and thus dismiss out of hand every bit of information you might bring to this court of law ?"

"And this, your honor," Matt replies tit for tat, never looking at anyone else than the president of the court, "is the very example of why Mr. Edwards shouldn't sit here, ready to judge my client. His opinion, whether about me or my client, is already made."

"I admit this is a little bit unusual, Counselor, but Mr. Edwards made an excellent point. You are not above bias yourself, and your opposite positions should even the terrain. I rule against the recusal. Motion dismissed."

Matty sits down, fuming. Danny sighs. He can't say he's surprised. It's pretty clear his mere existence is bothering someone or he wouldn't be here in the first place. This someone is not about to let a little thing like prejudice get in the way of justice as they want it to happen.

"Your honor," Edwards speaks up, "since Counselor Williams brought up the topic, I'd like to alert this court about my personal knowledge of the character we're about to judge today."

"This has nothing to do with the accusations against my client," Matt denies.

But Juror Coughlin doesn't agree once again.

"If you want to refute, Counselor, you'll be able to do so after Juror Edwards is done with his testimony."

"This is highly irregular !"

"Not if the court allows it. Go on, Juror."

"Thank you, your honor. I want it to be noted first that I didn't always look down on the accused, as Counselor Williams may believe. Daniel Williams was the talk of Newark when he captured our enemy's general and thus put an end to the war. I was very much looking forward to meeting him but yes, I freely admit to being more impressed by his wife than the man himself when it finally occurred. I became friends with her, and she often confided to me how lonely she felt. She had been happy to learn that the injury her husband sustained in his last battle prevented him from going back in the field, but then terrified about his new posting at the Hohokus prison. She reported to me that he never listened to her worries, making fun of her and spending more and more time away from her in his prison. When she got pregnant again, she hoped the child she was bearing would bring them close once more. Instead, she died, and her very own children now tell a very unsettling story about her going with the fairies to spread love over the world. Ever since I heard them, it's made me wonder what was the real cause of her death and why Williams tried so hard to hide it ?"

Danny stands, furious beyond words.

"My wife died in childbirth, you idiots ! Can you imagine how I felt, hearing her cries in the next room but forbidden to be with her by the matrons ? And then nothing, utter silence leaving you wondering what's happening in there, until someone comes out and tells you about your beautiful baby son that you’ll have to raise alone, and can you please find a nanny right away because he’ll be needing to feed soon and his mother won’t be able to help, seeing as she passed away in the process of giving birth to him. And yet, all this pain was nothing when I thought about my son. Do you know what it means for a child to grow up thinking that he killed his own mother ?! If you do, then you’ll understand why I invented this crazy story for Charlie’s sake. I didn’t want him to feel guilty for the rest of his life."

Danny turns towards Stan Edwards.

"I better not find out that you told the truth to my kids without my permission. If you had just come to me and asked, like adults do, instead of stirring troubles, we wouldn’t be talking about such nonsense here today. Inventing this story about fairies, I knew the kids would see through it sooner or later, like you do about Santa Claus, but it would be a nice thought they could cling to for a long time. I hope for your own sake that you didn't throw it all away. But then I wouldn't put it past you after you dared using my grief over the loss of my wife in this trial. I guess without it you wouldn’t stand such a major chance to get the revenge you’ve always sought against me for being in a way responsible for Rachel’s death."

"Your honor," Matty decides to use the current point to try again to get rid of Edwards, "the fear I evoked in this very place just a few minutes ago has come to pass. Juror Edwards is judging my client through the lens of his jealousy and grief at being unable to avenge the natural death of a woman who wasn’t his. You can’t allow this to go on if you want a fair trial."

"We already discussed this point, Counselor. Juror Edwards was right to bring this up to shed a light on Mr. Williams’ character and help this court in getting a fair picture of the accused."

"A fair picture ? Painted by a man who hates my client and already sees him as a murderer ?"

"If the shoe fits, Counselor," the third juror intervenes, "then it must be the truth and we need to know about it."

"The truth is a woman died giving birth, like so many do. It's a tragedy, one we would very much like to avoid, but that doesn't make my client a murderer any more than any other widower of this harsh world we're living in. Since we're allowed to use our personal knowledge, let me tell you that I knew Rachel Williams well enough to say that she would be the first one to tell you so if she could, and Juror Edwards should be ashamed to denigrate the love she felt for her husband by pretending her death was anything but natural."

Juror Edwards has the good grace to look indeed ashamed at Matty's words, as if remembering that Rachel did love Danny, and most of all her children who will find themselves alone if Danny's life ends hanging on a noose.

"Let's come back to the matter leading to the arrest of the defendant," Juror Coughlin says. "Daniel Williams, you were indicted for collusion with an inmate. Accused of giving information to well-known rebels against the crown to get said inmate released from the king's prison ; of treason against the crown and your fellow men, that you actively put in grave danger by leaving the Hohokus fort and thus letting them deal with the inmate's escape. What do you have to say for your defense ?"

Neither Danny nor Matty ever got to hear or read about the final charges brought against him, and Danny just can't quite wrap his head around what he's just heard. Of course, he knew about the letter found by Fryer, but he never thought it would hold up in court.

"What ?" he finally croaks, feeling like he just got punched again.

"Is this a joke, your honor ?" Matty regroups quicker than him. "My client wasn't there when the events happened, so how can he be suspected of helping the Hawaiian insurgents ? He didn't put his underlings in danger on purpose, and by the way, no one was really hurt, save maybe for the incompetent bailiff who let the prisoner get away. If this wasn't a mockery of justice, Bailiff Hesse should be the one standing trial today, and certainly not my client."

"We'll see about that. Counselor, I take it your client will plead innocent of all charges ?"

"Absolutely, your honor. Innocent and wrongfully accused."

"Very well," Juror Maxwell takes the lead. "Then let's unroll the events around this fatal day and try to see how they came to pass. Accused Williams, how long had you been hosting the prisoner – we'll call him Steven, in keeping with the name you yourself gave him – in Hohokus ?"

"Six months, give or take. Since the end of last December, to be precise. He came to me from Haweila in a very bad shape, and I used all those months to get him back on his feet."

"What do you mean, in bad shape ?" Juror Edwards asks.

"He was unwashed and famished. He had visibly been assaulted in many ways in the previous two years of his captivity, flogged and raped to no end, and the guards who brought him had to find clothes to dress him for the trip from Hawaii. He arrived into the depth of our winter wearing shirts and breeches made for the Hawaiian year-long summer. All in all, I had to nurse him back to health and teach him again the meaning of human kindness."

"All this for a prisoner who had been judged dangerous enough by the king to bypass trial and send him to prison with a _lettre de cachet_ ?"

"All this for a human being. And I would do the same for any of my inmates."

"Rumor has it," Juror Maxwell intervenes, "that Steven became sort of your… catamite."

"He was never such a thing," Danny answers truthfully, because he only ever made love to Steve. "I came to admire his resilience, his big heart, the love he felt for his province and the devotion he had showed it. But he was still my prisoner."

"Precisely," Juror Coughlin says. "You had been ordered by Governor Denning to keep the man’s presence a secret. To keep him in almost total isolation, save for yourself. But the first thing you did after the man's arrival was to introduce him to two of your men, under his real first name, and then to your second in command and his own men. You took off his iron mask ! How do you account for such a blatant disregard of orders ?"

"All due respect, sir, but it didn't happen that way, and I think neither you nor the governor have thought about what being a guard in a prison means. We make sure dangerous men are not a threat to society anymore. We take care of other guys who have lost their way because of dire circumstances, hoping that if we treat them well, away from the society who rejected them to live in darkness and shadows, they will find it again when they're free once more. We have to break up fights and quarrels, and not get shivved ourselves in doing so. All this happen between thick walls of bricks and stones put together to ensure the people condemned cannot go out. But the guards themselves, they are not prisoners ; they're doing their duty, their job. They're getting paid for doing it – they don't have to pay for it. They have families, and a right to see them. My children had a right to see me as often as I could make it home."

"You personally, as the warden, could have easily mixed duty to your king and duty to your children, by bringing them up with you into the prison."

"And have them confronted day after day by the ugliness of this world ? Brought up in close proximity of killers and robbers ? Harlots and courtesans ? I don't think so ! Certainly not ! So how was I supposed to tend to the prisoner while I was away visiting them ? Furthermore, should I have been the one cleaning the cell and taking care of every other duty regarding the prisoner ? I already had to become a barber, a cook and so many other tasks I performed amateurishly to keep Steven alive and in good health. So let me be very clear : yes, the prisoner was visited by other guards than me. No, they did not see his face, always masked behind a domino. And no, they didn't know his name, as we agreed upon a false name to use with and for him in order to achieve easier understanding when we had to address him. It just so happened that when I asked what his grandfather's name was, to use in place of his own, I realized he had been named after him. Changing my mind in front of my guys would have given away the fact that this was indeed his real name, I had to go with it from then on."

"Convenient excuse. And still, you disregarded a direct order. You could have kept the prisoner in squalor if that was needed."

Danny's blood boils at those words, and he feels himself beginning to lose it again.

"I was tending to a good man condemned for no reason I could see, who didn’t even know himself why he had been incarcerated. I'm a warden, not an executioner !"

"The man was accused of murdering a governor !" Juror Maxwell protests, appalled.

"Without any real investigation. And no one but me ever listened to him when he claimed his innocence !"

Danny does his best to regain some measure of calm and set the record straight about Steve's detention.

"Not to mention Governor Denning himself didn't take extra measures to ensure the man would be hidden from the world. The prisoner was brought to Hohokus by three ordinary guards, who were in possession of the key to his mask and could have tried to see his face or read the governor's letter at any time. They arrived at Hohokus just like any other prisoner's transportation crew, never asked to be separated from the common ground, never hid the prisoner. My men saw him long before I did. How was I supposed to hide him again after that ?! Are you going to hear Governor Denning about such a blatant disregard of safety measures ?"

The president's face glows with indignation.

"Accused Williams, you will not disrespect the eminent man the king, in his infinite wisdom, designated to lead such a huge province as Hawaii. He is your better in every way and you're not to question his motives or orders. Higher stakes are at play here, that mere citizens like us do not need to be privy to."

"Convenient excuse," Danny parrots, conscious he's aggravating his case but unable to keep his bitterness inside.

He begins to realize his fate is already sealed, but he's not going down without a fight. He owes that much to his kids. If his life is over, he wants Matty to be able to tell them that their father was innocent and never admitted to any wrongdoing. He wants them proud of their name, to walk in the streets with their head straight, secure in the knowledge that they have nothing to be ashamed of.

"On the day the prisoner escaped," Juror Edwards moves forward the reminder of the events, "you were indeed out of town ?"

"I had received a letter alerting me about my son's dire health and left to be by his side, leaving the Fort in Sergeant Lukela's hands for the day since the bailiff was still suspended at that time. From what I was later told, I arrived home after Steven's men managed to get into the prison and release the prisoner."

"Your nanny, Mrs. Melissa Armstrong, declared that your son wasn't ill at all. That she had in fact been forced by, I quote, 'masked men with a strange accent,' to write the letter one of them dictated her."

"That's what she told me too when I arrived. The accent she mentioned led me to think of the one prisoner in my fort that wasn't from our province and I rode back as fast as I could. But I made it too late, obviously. I learned Bailiff Hesse had been found tied in the prisoner's cell, and that the prisoner himself was long gone. I guess the fact that no one among the guards had ever seen Steven's face made it all the more easy for him to get out without being spotted among other visitors leaving the fort."

"So we're supposed to believe this harebrained account of yours is the truth ?" Juror Coughlin wonders.

"It's not only my account," Danny reminds them all, clamping hard on his patience. "As Juror Edwards already said, Melissa vouched for me."

"A woman who depends on your good graces for her living," Juror Maxwell points out.

"And who, some say, might be your mistress," Stan Edwards adds.

"I'm flattered some people think I can make so many conquests. But those who say that clearly do not know Melissa and try to belittle us both. They only succeed in making themselves look like petty scuttlebutt hawkers."

Edwards takes those words for the personal attack they are and sits back. Danny does the same.

"Come on !" Juror Maxwell exclaims. "You're still young, a red-blooded male with many desires, and I hear from Captain Fryer that Mrs. Armstrong is very charming. There would be no harm in two widowed people finding solace and comfort in each other's arms."

"There would be harm for Melissa if I led her to believe in feelings that do not exist. She deserves someone who loves her unconditionally. If my only interest resided in having sex, there are women and men out there who sell their bodies for a living. But I too deserve someone who loves me and whom I love equally. Melissa is not that person. End of discussion."

"I guess it's time for our first witness, then," Juror Coughlin decides. "Guard, bring in Bailiff Hesse."

"Your honor," Matty jumps up, "how comes the man who let the prisoner escape is brought out as a simple witness when my client is accused of arranging for events he never saw ?"

"This will become apparent soon, Counselor. Please sit back."

"Has the court been apprised of new facts but failed to communicate them to the defendant ?" Matty gets angry in his turn.

"This is not a usual trial, Counselor. The court is not under any obligation to share its findings with the defendant, and you would do well to remember it."

"My client has rights, whether this court admits it or not."

"Your client has one right as of this moment, and so do you, which is to shut up and let the witness testify."

The look Matty directs at the president would likely kill anyone with a thinner skin, but it's also clear Hesse enjoys very much the reprimand as he takes his place on the stand at their left.

"Witness," Juror Maxwell says, "please confirm your name and status for all present."

"Bailiff Victor Hesse, second in command of the Hohokus fort until recently. In the _absence_ of my colleague before his trial, I've been appointed temporary warden of the prison until such time as this court rules upon his fate."

"Appointed by who ?" Matty demands.

"By the court," Hesse replies.

"I see."

"What are you implying, Counselor ?"

"Nothing, your honor. I'm going to exercise my right to shut up."

Coughlin turns back to Danny's underling.

"Bailiff Hesse, you declared that you feel the responsibility for the prisoner’s escape does not fall on your shoulders ?"

"That’s correct, sir, I do not, your Honor."

"And why is that ?"

"I’m glad you ask, my lord. I wouldn't have approached him without a real purpose. The rebels trying to take him out explain why I came to his cell. Sadly, they were too many and I succumbed to an unfair fight, but the truth is, I was under strict orders from Chief Master Sergeant Williams not to harm the prisoner at any time, whatever he might have done to earn a punishment."

"Is that true, Warden Williams ?"

Danny stands back up, shooting a hard look to the bailiff.

"Hesse had been abusi..." he begins to answer but Juror Coughlin cuts him off.

"The defendant will answer yes or no, nothing else."

" _Yes_ , sir," Danny responds, but he can't help adding a few words. "For good reasons."

The president is definitely not amused.

"Accused Williams, by disrespecting this court of law, you’re not making us more sympathetic to your plight."

"I understand that, your honor. Really. By disrespecting me, you’re not making me like you at all either."

There’re more or less discreet snickers coming from the men standing guard at the doors. Danny’s brother hops from his seat and tries to do damage control.

"Sir Williams only means that he feels his word is not given the importance a man of such valor and bravery should get."

"We know very well what your client means, Counselor, don’t bother."

"Your honor," Matty insists, "Chief Master Sergeant Williams is a highly decorated soldier who was knighted for his incredible feat of arms and for capturing on his own the enemy’s leader. As for the bailiff, his only claim to military glory has been to liaise between armies, thus taking him far away from the battlefield. He's been accused many times of smuggling, making a profit over his fellow soldiers' needs, and then again during his frequent trips between Newark and Hohokus. It should be clear to anyone in this room whose word is beyond questioning."

"Bailiff Hesse was never convicted of such dishonorable conduct," Juror Maxwell reminds them. "Using this shameful argument to mislead the court is beyond you, Counselor, and it adds a very shady light to the bad blood between the bailiff and the tipstaff."

"As far as I'm concerned," Danny manages to specify, "there was no bad blood between us. We never saw much of each other and my personal opinion that he was a coward and a bigger criminal than most of my inmates was disregarded by judges of your ilk that Hesse probably had on his… payroll. That's really all I have to say about him."

Stupefied by this very personal attack, the jurors keep silent for once. Danny sits back but then stands again in the same breath;

"And you can add vilification to the list of my crimes, but it won't make the facts any less true."

"I don't think Mr. Williams has such a righteous leg to stand on," Hesse tells the judges with a snarl. "Especially where it comes to his relationship with the escaped convict. I heard the guards more than once say that he and Steven bathed together, or that Steven had slept in the warden's rooms."

"That's hearsay, your honor," Matty contests. "I fail to see how the bailiff can testify about anything happening during the times he wasn't at the fort, and even more in the last month, considering he was suspended and thus out of the prison, which makes his presence in the fort very questionable after he himself declared he wasn't supposed to be there in the first place."

"It might have been so," Juror Maxwell intervenes, "but the bailiff still had friends and subordinates inside who were able to tell him what happened. Consider this an easier and faster way to get to the truth, instead of going through too many testimonies."

"This is not a fair trial," Matty rages as he stands up and punches the table, incapable of staying quiet any longer. "You're trampling over my client's rights !"

"Counselor Williams," Juror Coughlin bellows, "you will cease right this moment to insult this court or you will be removed from the premises, forcibly if necessary."

Matty calms down only when he feels Danny's hand on his arm.

"As you wish, your… honor."

Juror Maxwell waits for him to sit back down before he turns back to the witness.

"Bailiff, please keep going. Tell us about the day the prisoner escaped."

"I had just come back to Hohokus the day before with a bunch of new prisoners from Newark. I was at the local inn, spending a morning of spiritual meditation and prayers – yes, Mr. Williams, you can snigger all you want, but I am a man of faith and virtue – when I was alerted by a guard from the fort that the warden had been called away by a family emergency. Duty forced me to put an end to my prayers to take care of the prisoners instead."

"Duty, you say. Wasn't it more like the need for revenge ?" Matty suggests.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Really ? And weren't you still suspended ?"

"I was. But…"

"You were indeed disregarding a direct order not to show up at the prison until the time you were reinstated, but you did go to the prison anyway."

"As I said, it was my duty to show up to replace the absent warden."

"Had the warden named someone else to take his place during his very short leave ?"

"Yes, he had."

"Well, who was it ?"

"Sergeant Lukela. But I was available, and he's just a subordinate."

"You mean that you outrank him. Does it still stand when you're suspended ?"

"It makes no difference to a man of duty."

"Did the warden know you were in town ?"

"Possibly."

"Did he see you when you brought the new prisoners the day before ?"

"He did."

"So he must have guessed you were still around. You didn't wonder then why it was that he didn't call on you to replace him ? Never thought that was because he didn't want you in the fort in the first place ?"

"The man's pettiness is none of my concern. My duty is to the prisoners, that's all I needed to know."

"Alright. Then please explain to us why, if you concern yourself so much with the prisoners' well-being, did you go straight to Steven's cell to have a fight with him ?"

Hesse's face turns ashen.

"How do you know that ?"

Matty grabs a piece of paper from a leather file on the desk and holds it up for everyone to see.

"I received a note this morning, signed by someone called Steven J. McGarrett. This man introduces himself as the prisoner from Hawaii Warden Williams cared for. He testifies that you came into his cell after the warden had to leave to see his sick son – not after the rebels' arrival, as you just lied to this court – and that you tried to kill him. Fortunately, McGarrett writes, his friends the rebels appeared just in time to save him. He says that the only unfair fight was between you and him since he had chains on and you didn't, but even then he got the upper hand more than once. That he abandoned you unconscious when he could have killed you easily, choosing instead to let you get a taste of your own medicine by tying you up naked for someone else to find, just the way you had done to him previously. The man insists then that the warden had no part in his escape, because he's too loyal to the crown to do such a thing. That Daniel Williams made him swear on his honor to never escape so that he never did as long as Warden Williams was the one taking care of him."

Danny is on the edge of his seat, trying to see for himself, heart beating wildly. Steven wrote. Steve still cares enough to try and exonerate him.

"Do any of the details this note talks about remind you of the way the escape happened ?"

"It does, partially, but I wouldn't put much credit in the word of a man sentenced to a life imprisonment in solitary by a _lettre de cachet_. If indeed Williams was his lover, it makes sense for McGarrett, or whatever his real name is, to try and make us believe the former warden is innocent."

"Well said, Bailiff," Juror Edwards concludes. "This court will not judge the accused on the basis of a convict's testimony."

"Of course, you won't," Danny rants. "Not if it might exonerate me. I'm so glad you judges don't take sides before the end of the trial."

"That's not what's happening here," Juror Edwards objects. "We simply cannot allow any testimony that wasn't duly verified. For all we know, your brother could have written this note himself."

"I didn't know the prisoner's name," Matty reminds them.

"You didn't, but your brother, as the warden, did from the beginning."

"Do I need to remind you that as the warden, he was still under strict orders not to reveal that name, and therefore never told me ? And what about the details Steven mentions ? He and Hesse were the only ones in that cell, I couldn't make it up. The bailiff's reaction was telling enough that we know this is a real account of the way it happened."

"Even so, this is inadmissible proof."

Juror Edwards seems weirdly sorry for them, but that's not the case with Juror Coughlin who gets the trial going forward once more.

"Bailiff Hesse, do you have anything to add ?"

"One thing, your honor. My brother Anton, the vidame of Newark, has been missing for a few days, as well as our friend and colleague, Jason Duclair. I can't help being very worried about them both, and I keep wondering what part the accused might have played in their disappearance. Mr. Williams has been accusing me and my men of terrible things for years now, and maybe this is the retribution for being arrested for his own crimes."

Danny is stunned. Not that Hesse would accuse him – that's his favorite trick – but that Anton and Duclair have been missing. Maybe something good will come out of this painful trial. And maybe… he doesn't dare hope too much, but maybe this is the sign that someone, somewhere, is fighting for him. Ready for some kind of prisoner exchange, perhaps.

"Accused Williams, do you have anything to say about this ?"

"Why ? You want to pin this on me too ? Be my guest ! I'll just remind you that I've been in prison for the last few weeks, under the supervision of the bailiff himself, and that he would know if I had sent any message out there to order the vidame's kidnapping."

Danny turns towards the bailiff then, a sardonic smile on his face.

"I suggest you look into the many enemies I'm sure you three made for yourselves during all those years spent taking advantage of the weak and catering to the wealthy."

"Thank you for the advice," Hesse replies, venom dripping from his voice. "I'll be sure to remember when I take such great pleasure watching you hang from the gibbet in front of the city hall !"

A dare in his eyes, Hesse finally leaves the testimony stand and walks to the door, escorted by the guard who let him in. The same guard who comes back with a new witness that Danny recognizes just as well.

"Witness, what's your name and occupation ?"

"Private Gil Scates, your honor, guard at the Hohokus prison for the last five years or so."

"Private Scates, you were one of the sentries at the drawbridge, the first and main gate to Fort Hohokus, on the day the Hawaiian rebels came to free their leader, weren't you ?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Then tell us precisely what happened that day."

"Well, your honor, me and the other sentry, my boy Ellers, we were seduced by two witches and then attacked from behind by demons."

"I have here the testimony of your _boy_ , Private Craig Ellers, who is a bit less dramatic than you and speaks of two women and probably two men, the first distracting you so that the others could indeed attack you from behind and render you unconscious."

"That's right too."

"Did those women tell you who they were coming for ?"

"Absolutely. One introduced herself as Duke's niece, and the other as Nahele's cousin. I remember she said _cuz_ instead of cousin, it made me laugh."

"Can you clearly state for the court who these men are that you're talking about?"

"Duke Lukela and Nahele Huikala. They're the warden's closest men. They've been fired since the warden was arrested."

Danny does a double take and Matty has to calm him down.

"Do you know where they are from, originally ?" Juror Coughlin keeps going without looking at Danny for a second.

"Hawaii. But they've been here in Jersey forever, long before I arrived at the fort. Duke says he asked the warden for a job when he realized he treated his prisoners as human beings, not animals. And Nahele was still a kid when he came at Hohokus, following his father. The warden and Duke, they've both kind of raised him."

"So we have two people from Hawaii, entirely devoted to Warden Williams, and all these people take care of a prisoner also from Hawaii who's been noted as a dangerous man who somehow turns into a meek sheep in their hands."

"I don't know about that, your honor. I've never seen the prisoner you're talking about. I just heard the rumors spread by the bailiff and his men about the warden and the prisoner being… tight. I thought it was weird because the warden isn't like that. Not at all. He never takes advantage of the prisoners."

"Would you please enlighten us about the point you're trying to make here, your honor ?" Matty interrupts the questioning.

"All will be revealed in good time, Counselor. Last question about Sergeant Lukela and Ensign Huikala, Private. Do you happen to know where Lukela worked before his hiring at Hohokus ?"

"Some place called Haweila. The way Duke talks about it, we might as well call it Hell and be done with it."

"Haweila," Juror Maxwell repeats. "The prison which hosted Steven for two years before he was sent up north by Governor Denning."

"Maybe, but Duke wasn't there by that time," Scates reminds them, "hadn't been for a long while."

"I couldn't say it better," Matty smirks. "Maybe Private Scates could tell us if the Sergeant and the Ensign were at the prison when the prisoner escaped ?"

"They weren't," Scates answers without waiting for the jurors' permission. "They had left earlier that morning, as they weren't due to work before the end of the day, and me and Craig we saw them leaving. The roster had them working the night shift that week."

"Did you see them coming back ?"

"I saw Duke, hours later, after the police found him gagged and tied up behind the tavern."

"Did Sergeant Lukela say what had happened to him ?"

"He didn't really know for sure. He had been assaulted but not robbed, and then abandoned there. He never saw who did that to him. Same thing for Nahele, but they had hit him harder so he had to rest in bed."

Danny can read on the jurors' faces once again their certainty that it was all in the master plan to get Steve out while appearing innocent.

"Please continue. What did Lukela do back at the prison ?"

"There's not much more to tell. By that time, the prisoner had escaped and Duke was the one who found Ellers and me, still tied up and unconscious, just like Duke."

"Very well. And you also saw the warden leave ?"

"About two hours after Duke and Nahele, yes. I remember Craig and me, we thought something was wrong because the warden always had a few words with us when he passed our gate. But that day, he rode at full pelt and didn't even acknowledge us."

"Who else did you see ?"

"A few other guards and visitors, but I guess you're only interested in the bailiff."

"Were you surprised to see him ?"

"I was. He wasn't supposed to be there, and I didn't know what to do, until he explained that the warden had been called home for an emergency and it was his duty to look after the fort in his absence."

"How did he know about the warden ?"

"News run fast, and the bailiff has men who tell him all about what happens in the fort when he's not around."

"So you let him in ?"

"We did. He's our superior and he ordered us to let him pass. He's not the kind of guy you wanna get in trouble with, you know."

"That's when the Hawaiian women arrived ?"

"Just a few minutes after. I remember because I was still having doubts about letting the bailiff in, but I forgot about it all when I saw the girls."

"How long did you chat with them ?"

"I'm not sure. A few minutes. They said they were impressed by everything they saw in Jersey, and the men particularly, that we were all so tall and strong. They were happy to meet new people. They said everybody knows everybody in Hawaii, because it's a small peni… penu… province."

"And you believed them ? The girls no one had ever heard about but who came to visit Lukela and Huikala as family, bringing them pie although they hadn't seen them for years, the girls who obviously came on a reconnoiter mission, or worse, with the way they were sweet talking you ? You swallowed it all ?!"

"They were pretty believable," Scates protests.

"I guess what this man means is that they were pretty, period," Matt intervenes.

"They did have beautiful racks !" Scates approves with a happy grin. "The younger one especially, the other girl had a great face but was a bit too flat for my taste."

"Please keep to a decent language in this court, Private !" Juror Edwards seethes. "And show a little respect."

Danny snorts but doesn't comment, instead making a sign to indicate he won't say a word when the jurors turn to him with the same question of their faces.

"You searched the basket they were bringing with them, didn't you ?" Juror Coughlin continues.

"Absolutely," Scates says with a chastised expression after Edwards' rebuke. "As you said, there was a pie, that they shared parts of with us, and below that were clothes. Men's clothes."

"Did you ask them about that ?"

"The younger one, Tani she said she was called, she explained it's tradition in Hawaii to bring clothes as a present to your family when you're visiting them."

"And you didn't think it was weird ?"

"I did, but I didn't want to look stupid or condescending and lose any chance of seducing her so I shut up. Then I saw Ellers falling down, and the next thing I knew I was falling too. Out for the count. I woke up hours later, tied up in the guards' room behind the gate, wearing only my underwear. Ellers was no better and he was still unconscious."

"Were you told about what happened after that ?"

"The investigation concluded that two of the men who knocked us out had stolen our uniforms to take our places while the women and at least two other men – dressed in the clothes brought by the girls since the ones they wore were soaking wet – entered the prison in search of the Hawaiian prisoner. They also knocked the bailiff unconscious when he tried to stop them, before they used more clothes they had brought for the prisoner, making sure he wouldn't be recognized in and outside the prison. Then they escaped all at once. Luck was definitely with them as there was a bad summer storm after that, and no one came to the prison during that time, so no one wondered why there was no sentry in attendance at the gate. If someone did, they probably thought we were inside, hiding from the storm. No one wondered about the bailiff either, since he wasn't supposed to be there, until a guard found him when he saw the cell's door slightly ajar. I heard the bailiff was tied up and naked, just what he had done to the prisoner more than once."

"Unless you want to stand in front of this court for defamation, Private, you will stop at once spreading those nasty rumors. Am I perfectly clear ?"

"Yes, your honor. I'm sorry. I'm only testifying about what I heard about the case. I'm not saying it was true."

"Then this will be your last testimony on the subject, and you will give Captain Fryer the names of those who shared the rumors with you as well as the ones of those you shared it with. We intend to protect any good man and go down hard on those who threaten them."

"I will, your honor. As I said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean no offense."

"Very well. You're dismissed, Private Scates. And remember your promise."

Scates runs rather than walks out of the courtroom. Matty decides it's as good a time as any to highlight once again the fact that Danny was absent at the time of the escape.

"Your honor, thank you for having this man testify in favor of my client. It's clear now that Sir Williams was indeed not present and thus could not take part or help in any way the convict's escape."

"I'm glad you're happy, Counselor, but this testimony only tells us the accused wasn't on site, not that he didn't arrange for it to happen. Accused Williams, stand up. Now would be a good time for you to come clean and confess what you did."

Danny slowly stands up.

"I can't do that, your honor. My only mistake is this affair is following my late wife's advice to not make waves and thus not having fired the bailiff and his men as soon as I realized how corrupt they were, and to hell with consequences. As for myself, I have nothing to feel guilty about."

"You keep with this unbelievable version of yours ? Even confronted with the letter Captain Fryer found on your desk thanking you for your help in retrieving the prisoner from the law's clutches ? Even after all the reports saying you and the prisoner were in a relationship ? You still deny being a part of this conspiracy to take the prisoner away from the king's reach ? Still deny allying with the Hawaiian rebels to tell them what kind of firepower they could expect inside the fort, and where exactly they would find the prisoner ? Your defense is that none of this was your fault and everything was done to make you look guilty ?"

"You nailed it, your honor. I'm just the scapegoat here, and I sure won't let anyone march me to an early grave without fighting my accusers."

"We haven't heard from Captain Fryer, your honor," Matty wonders. "I find it strange that the man who led this investigation and arrested my client isn't here today to present the so-called proof he gathered."

"We didn't need him. Captain Fryer already gave us his testimony in private before another investigation forced him to go out of town."

"So this is all you have to show for Daniel Williams' alleged guilt ? If this is the case, I demand an immediate mistrial."

"As is your right, Counselor, just as ours is to refuse. This court will retire now to reach a decision."

Juror Coughlin looks at him with a nasty smile and Danny knows he's already done for.

\-------------

The judges withdraw to a nearby room to deliberate. After they've taken the time to relieve themselves and armed with a good pint of ale, they sit at the round table, facing each other.

"I think we're all in agreement," Juror Coughlin takes the lead once more, "that the accused is guilty of treason towards the crown and conspiracy with a prisoner to help him escape. Not to mention sleeping with the enemy, but that's small fry next to the other counts of the indictment."

"What do you make of his version ?" Stan asks, because everything he's seen in this court of law left him unsatisfied.

He dislikes Williams. For the very reasons Counselor Williams stated. Which doesn't make him automatically guilty.

"Lies !" Juror Maxwell shouts, visibly pissed by his question. "Lies and obfuscation. Not even good ones, at that. Williams is guilty. I vote that he be hanged as soon as can be arranged."

"I too vote in favor of hanging," Coughlin adds. "What say you, Juror Edwards ?"

Stan considers them for a moment, the truth finally clear to him.

"He was always going to be found guilty, wasn’t he ?" he realizes.

He was so surprised at first to be called as a juror in a high profile case – or as high profile as a closed-hearing case can be, but the verdict will reach the king, which can make or break a career. He's just a lowly solicitor from Newark. He's done good for himself, sure, built a wealthy clientele who made him rich and respected, but he's nothing like the famous Coughlin and Maxwell who have sent so many men and women to hang these past twenty years and are feared well beyond the county limits.

He thought the fact that he's known Williams for some time and wasn't enamored of his prickly, unsophisticated, and at times downright rude behavior was the reason he was called, the certainty that he wouldn't be swayed by pretty words and the memory of Williams' feat of arms. And it's clear now that this was indeed the reason he was called, but the other two judges probably counted on this old feeling of jealousy he's nurtured ever since he met Rachel Williams to ensure he wouldn't look too closely to the evidence. That he'd be so happy to get rid of an old rival that he wouldn't mind sending a man to his death.

They were wrong. He's not that kind of man.

He still mostly dislikes Williams, but he kind of respects him too. And he's not sure at all, though the warden probably had an affair with this Steven McGarrett, that he would have arranged for him to run away.

"The evidence was pretty damning from the beginning," Coughlin answers his question, or rather doesn't.

"Was it ?" Stan counters. "Did the police ever try to find the money that was supposed to be waiting for Williams in exchange for his help ? Did they ever ascertain who wrote that very convenient letter ? Compare the writing to that of the bailiff, for example ? And why would the warden arrange for the man he sleeps with to escape ? It makes no sense. We know Williams is not the kind of warden to take advantage of his prisoners. Which means he must have been in love with this man, and yet he lets him leave, probably never to see him again ?! He should have left with him, right away. I repeat, it makes no sense."

"Maybe he wanted to make sure his family in Newark wouldn't be questioned. Or maybe he's not as clever as you seems to think he is. I don't care. He's guilty, end of the discussion."

Stan is taken aback.

"We're here to deliberate, and that's what we're doing. I'm still not convinced he's guilty."

"It really doesn't matter. We have a quorum, the sentence will pass."

\-------------

Danny's last night on this Earth is bittersweet. He wants to think of good things, he really does. But every time the memories of his kids, of his family, of Steve come up, he knows he's so close to losing it that he backs away quickly. He can't afford to be a crying mess tomorrow in front of his accusers. He needs to remain strong, imbued with the certainty of his innocence. Which might prove difficult since he's got his own doubts, creeping up in the silence of his cell.

He’s been so close to giving up everything for Steve, planning the best ways to run away to Hawaii with him and his kids, to spend the rest of their lives in hiding, so maybe this punishment is deserved, the penalty for crimes he might have come to commit, given enough time.

He remembers thinking on their first night together that he would die happy if he could have Steve once.

Well, be careful what you wish for, for it may come to pass in more ways than just the one you were focused on. And he certainly can't say he's happy to come face to face with the noose he's going to hang on soon.

But he had a good life, that's what he's trying to remember first and foremost. His family is well set and knows where to find his money to raise his kids ; he trusts them all to raise them well, independent but mindful of the people around them, always doing their best. He thinks they will remember him fondly, knowing he loved them fiercely and was just as proud of them.

He wonders what will become of them. Will Grace be able to trust a man and marry him after being abandoned by her father ? Will Charlie follow in his old man's footsteps, making a career in the army, or will he stay as far away as possible of anything reminding him of Danny ?

He's glad he's known love, not just that gentle feeling Rachel used to awaken in him in their last years together, but the deep need, this sensation akin to an explosion he feels whenever Steve's close to him, touching him. He would have liked to explore it longer, that thing between them, see if the explosions would have kept coming. Find out how Steve is in the wildness of Hawaii, untethered, free to be himself. No more mask, no more hiding behind the persona of the meek prisoner doing his best to survive.

They put him in one of the top cells for his last night, as if his prayers might reach the sky more easily. But he figured that, soon enough, he'll be so close to heaven or hell that prayers won't be needed to make his voice heard, so he passes the time, as long as the sun is up, by admiring the land and the busy city instead of losing time over pointless wishes no god or angel will listen to. Even after night falls, he doesn't think he'll be able to sleep, but his mind shuts down on memories of Steve and his kids and the morning sun wakes him up as dawn rises.

The guards who show up first are loyal to him. They bring him his uniform, like a mute testament of their faith in him. Danny's pretty sure they're doing this against the bailiff's order, or at the very least without his approval. He thanks them with a nod and a handshake before he changes rapidly.

Even his medals are there, pretty, shiny trinkets symbolic of his achievements that nothing will ever take away. He will die for his country just like he lived, trying to make a difference for those he loves and everyone else who deserves it.

They serve him a light breakfast, tea and eggs, that Danny is surprised to be able to swallow. He wonders how the kids he used to hire at the market are doing after he hasn't been there for a while to give them a few coins now and then to make sure they'll eat at least one meal that day, teaching them at the same time the valor of good, honest work. He can't help being happy that they at least will miss him.

"If you see Duke and Nahele again," he says to the guards before it's time to leave for the gallows, "please tell them I'm sorry they lost their jobs because of me, and that I will forever be thankful for their support and friendship. Just like I'm thankful for your support, guys."

There's a bit of mist in the guards' eyes, and Danny doesn't want to know what his own look like, so they all turn away and leave the cell.

The mist in his eyes changes into a steady rain of sorts as he finds the men still loyal to him – a vast majority – forming a guard of honor all along the staircase. The descent passes in a blur of white uniforms and grey steps and it's a miracle Danny makes it down to the first floor in one piece and still standing.

A cart is waiting for him in the courtyard, into which Danny climbs. The guard who ties his hands behind his back looks apologetic but Danny reassures him, with the best smile he can muster at this moment, that he understands why he has to do this.

The convoy made up of the cart and six guards on their horses sets off. They pass the gate, Scates and Ellers saluting Danny but not meeting his eyes, and then take the road leading downtown. Another kind of honor guard has assembled for him, onlookers watching them ride through the streets, silent and sometimes sad. Some of them even look angry and Danny hopes it's on his behalf, not at him.

It's customary for an execution in Hohokus to be held on the place separating the town hall and the church. Danny's is no exception. The cart comes to a halt in front of the gibbet, and suddenly everything becomes more real.

In a few minutes, Danny will be dead. There's nothing he can do about it, and it's time he resigns himself to his fate. He keeps telling himself that as he's led up the stairs to the dais the gibbet is erected on. Repeats it again as the goading smile of the bailiff welcomes him at the top of the stairs, his enemy replacing the guard to take him to the noose loosely hanging, waiting for him.

He's torn. He feels so alone in his last moments, and he doesn't think he ever did anything to deserve such a fate. After he left the battlefields behind, he always thought he'd die of old age, in his bed, surrounded by his kids and grandkids. But this is all wrong, all those familiar faces, the people of this town he knows more or less, and yet no one really close to him is there to lend him strength. Not even a real friend to bear witness and tell his family that he died like a man. But then he's glad that none of his family is here. Not his children, not his parents, not his siblings. He doesn't want to imagine his mama crying, or remember his father gently asking him to be careful about Steve. Matty feigning confidence. Eric losing yet another father figure. And his kids…

It's on this thought that Matty appears at the bottom of the dais. The crowd seems to know who he is, for it opens to let him pass. Maybe that's because he looks devastated and guilty, as if it's his fault Danny was condemned. As if he still believes that he could have made a difference. Save Danny.

"It's not on you, brother," Danny says, quickly, as loudly as he can, "it's all on them !"

He's looking right at the jurors who sentenced him to death, sitting on another dais facing the gibbet, high above the populace. Edwards looks a bit green around the gills, and even more so when the rabble boos them, making obvious this execution is not approved of.

The jurors' answer takes the form of Coughlin standing up and unrolling a scroll that he reads loud and clear.

"On this morning of August 8th, 1532, we stand witness to the execution of Daniel Williams, who's been convicted of collusion with an enemy and dereliction of duty by willful neglect of orders issued by the crown. As such, he is condemned to be hanged until death occurs. Furthermore, he is stripped of any honor and praises previously gained and his name will be erased from all official documents, so that the memory of his treason will not mar the glorious history of this country."

The boos only get louder and louder and the jurors look rightfully frightened.

"Hangman, you may proceed," Coughlin adds in a hurry as the soldiers around his dais raise their halberds in a show of strength that seems to anger the mob more than it calms it down.

It's early morning but the sun is beating down on Danny. Maybe it would have been easier to die in winter, body already half frozen thanks to the low temperatures. Less smelly too, for he wouldn't be sweating under his jacket, and his body wouldn't rot so quickly once he's dead.

The jacket ceases to be a problem as Hesse takes it off of him, unknotting the ropes holding his wrists together but attaching them again as soon as the clothing item is off and his medals with it. Danny wonders if the bailiff will dare using them for himself after his death. He certainly wouldn't put it past him.

"Tell me where my brother is, and I'll hit you hard enough that you won't feel the noose squeezing your neck," Hesse offers. "You won't feel yourself dying."

Danny wishes he had a good repartee on the tip of his tongue, but his mind is blank, as if his thoughts have left already, to avoid being crushed with him into oblivion.

Lips tight in front of his silence, Hesse pushes him back to where the noose is hanging. The hangman steps up, scary figure with his enormous physique looming over Danny, but most of all the dark, pointed hood masking his face and neck. He raises the noose, ready to pass it over Danny's head.

There's a small commotion at the end of the place, a man running towards the dais, and Danny's eyes open wide when he realizes the guy is no one else than a dusty and disheveled Anton Hesse, somehow summoned by his brother's question.

"Victor !" Anton yells, "it's a trap !"

Danny doesn't get the luxury to wonder what it means as he feels the rope applying itself against his neck, moving against his Adam's apple, tightening around his vocal cords. He feels like he can't breathe already as the hangman squeezes the noose in place and the constriction grows ; he closes his eyes, summoning images of the people he loves to take them with him into death.

The bang of a pistol has his eyes opening again by themselves, and then he feels the rope falling on his shoulders, no longer able to crush his windpipe when Danny himself falls down to his knees. He hardly feels the pain in his old injured knee, too relieved to pay it attention. The crowd is delirious, cheering whoever cut off Danny's noose, and the soldiers around the jurors' dais move into a defensive position, halberds at the ready against an enemy they can't see.

And then Danny sees him.

"Steve ?"

Hesse turns around, and they both stare at Danny's savior.

Steve, looking so good, magnificent even. Something's changed in him, he can tell even from this distance. He's standing tall and straight, and there's an air about him that screams "I'm the one in command, come defy me."

But he's looking at Danny with his heart in his eyes, and Danny instantly regrets all the times he thought Steve had probably forgotten him already.

The moment is cut short by Anton seizing a halberd from one of the soldiers and throwing himself at the rebel.

"Steve ! On your right !" Danny yells.

Steve easily parries with his sword, diverting the halberd towards the crowd that moves away to give the men enough room to fight. Anton is visibly furious, but his weapon is heavy and he's not used to wielding such a long staff. Steve manages to cut it down with his blade in two strikes.

Danny's good with a sword. Very good, and it saved his life more than once. It's just not something he likes to do in his spare time, or takes particular pride in.

But Steve… Steve is poetry in motion when he fights, his style a wild dance Danny wants to join. The sword is nothing but an extension of Steve's own arm, and the soldiers in front of him coming to Anton's aid at Maxwell's order stand no chance at all to stop him. Especially when the crowd refuses to open up to let them pass.

"Move ! Move !" Coughlin and Maxwell order.

If anything, the crowd gets more compact. Victor Hesse jumps down from the dais to go to help his brother and Danny yells once more to alert Steve. There's nothing else he can do to help him, hands still tied, but he doesn't want this to be the last time they see each other. Not now, not after he almost died. Not without at least one last kiss.

Help is on its way. Steve's friends enter the fray, positioning themselves at the soldiers' backs, forcing them to turn around and let the Hesse brothers deal alone with McGarrett.

It's a huge mess. Danny sees it all from his vantage point and there's no other word to describe the furious fight, though he hardly spares more than one or two seconds here and there watching the guys he doesn't know, eyes automatically coming back to make sure Steve's still not harmed. Or worse.

Anton tries to get behind Steve for a pincer attack but the move fails, Steve pushing him back to where he came from with an added cut on his arm. Danny's itching to go down and fight next to his lover, if only to distract Anton. The younger brother is definitely not a match for Steve's skills, but Victor looks a lot more dangerous, and he's not above striking while Steve's engaged against Anton.

Danny can't help him without a sword, that's a fact. But he realizes he's not entirely powerless once he manages to untie the rope holding his wrists together. His first move is to attack the hangman who's been watching the events as they unfold. Danny imagines his mouth hangs open – hey, pun ! – under the big hood that might make him scary but diminishes grandly his peripheral vision so that he doesn't see Danny coming at him for a frontal, whole body kick. Even with all the mass and weight he's got on Danny, the man staggers backwards, and then his arms make a pretty good imitation of a windmill as he tries to stay upright but ultimately fails, falling down the dais to land on his back, out for the count.

Then Danny grabs the heavy rope destined to strangle him and turns it around in the air to get some velocity. He hasn't done this for a very long time, but he used to be good at this game as a kid, playing lasso to catch his little brother and sister to hear them screech, and a few years later to catch potential lovers whose attention he wanted to attract. This rope isn't long enough to use as a lasso, but it's certainly heavy enough to become a projectile if Danny is able to land it right.

He aims right for the back of Victor's head, putting into it all the hatred against the man he's accumulated through the years, and hits the mark beautifully.

The man stumbles to his knees, not completely unconscious but stunned enough that Steve is able to give him another kick with his booted foot, right in the face, and this time Victor crumbles to the ground. Steve is free to transfer his whole attention towards Anton and Danny can't help grinning wide as he watches him playing with Anton like a cat lets the mouse panic as it becomes increasingly clear that its life is about to end. Gruesomely.

"See, Anton, you shouldn't have escaped," Steve goads him. "Now I'm gonna have to kill you, unless you surrender right now."

"Never !"

Then Anton throws himself at Steve, and in the movement it takes to parry his blade, Steve's sword gets in the way, skewering Anton from the bottom of his ribcage. Probably right through the heart.

There's a loud clamor coming from the crowd, cheering once again for Steve. No one will regret Anton, but it makes Danny sad in a way, seeing yet another life lost for nothing.

Steve gets his sword out of Anton's body and lets the crowd deal with the Hesse brothers. He spares a quick look for his friends who seem to easily hold their own against the soldiers before he runs to the dais Danny's still standing on. His long legs climb the steps two at once and finally he's here, right in front of Danny, larger than life. Sweaty and disheveled, frowning, taking in every inch of Danny's body as if looking for injuries.

"What's with the face, McGarrett ?"

It's obvious what's going on, how afraid for him Steve has been, and that he still can't quite believe Danny's safe. Calling him on it seems to help him realize Danny is indeed alive, and Steve's tense face changes into a smile more befitting of a boudoir, bedroom eyes flooding Danny's mind with the many memories of their lovemaking.

"Had I known it would take a trial and the gallows to see you out of your uniform jacket, I would have escaped much sooner."

"You idiot !" Danny says, but it's full of love and longing.

So much so that when Steve leans down to kiss him, Danny doesn't resist and kisses him back with all he has, and to hell with who can see them.

It's just so good to feel Steve's strong body right against his own, the warmth of it spreading through Danny to light up his soul and give him hope that they'll get to enjoy life together after all.

"Danny !' Matty's voice shouts and breaks his happiness.

He turns away from Steve, arms still around his waist, to look at his brother down among the other people who came to see him hanged.

"The soldiers !" Matty warns them, "more are coming."

With his hand, Matty shows them the end of the place, and Danny can see, even better than him from his platform, the men in armor trying to reach them, impeded by the crowd still rooting for Danny. Boos follow the soldiers, jostled to and fro by vindictive people who ask why they want a good man dead, who gave this order, that the responsible party of this farce show his face ! But the jurors have managed to flee the scene to avoid meeting the rebels' swords.

Danny feels Steve gripping his hands with his own and tugging.

"Come !" he says, already climbing down the stairs to the platform, and Danny has no choice but to follow him.

It's not easy, his knee hurting like a bitch, but then they rush down the dais. This time, the crowd opens for them, offering good luck wishes, before it closes back behind to hide the direction in which they're leaving.

It's a good thing Danny runs fast, even in pain, because Steve seems to have forgotten their legs are not quite the same length. They hurry through the narrow, shadowy streets, Steve never letting go of Danny's hand.

"Do you know where you're going ?" Danny asks, breathless.

"No, just run !"

Wrong answer, Danny wants to say, and who launches such an attack without an escape plan ?! But then a door opens and Danny slows down to a halt when he recognizes the woman signaling him to come inside, forcing Steve to do the same.

"Come in," Abby whispers, "the guards won't look for you in here."

Steve looks at Danny for advice, and his nod is good enough for him to enter the small house, immediately followed by Danny.

"Thanks, Abby," he says, "but we don't want to put you in danger."

"Don't worry, Warden," she answers. "The whole street went to watch you hang, no one will know you're here. And even if the soldiers search every house, I have a small room in which you can hide that they won't ever find. My father hid there more than once before he was arrested. He built it when he began to write his newspaper. He knew it could get him into big trouble."

She leads them to a wall and she's right, no one will ever look for the door hidden within the paneling.

The room behind is indeed small, most of it taken by a single bed, a chair and a tiny table. Abby goes in first to light the oil lamp.

"I'm sorry I can't do better, Warden, but I'm glad to be able to help you."

"I'm not the warden anymore, so now would be a good time to call me Danny, don't you think ?"

She smiles at him, a poor, sad little thing of a smile.

"Okay, Danny."

"How's your father, by the way ? I haven't seen him since I was imprisoned."

Her smile disappears, and she looks down, breath hitching.

"He's dead. The bastard Hesse got him out of the cell you kept him in to make sure he was safe and put him with three other prisoners. Murderers. He didn't last a week."

Both Danny and Steve put a hand on her shoulders to comfort her. Both tell her how sorry they are. She sniffles and then bravely look at them.

"I hope Hesse will rot in hell till the end of time. Helping you is the least I can do to thank you for everything you did for my dad all those years, the way you protected him, and all the time I got to spend with him because you let me visit more than usually allowed. I won't stand for another good man thrown to the wolves without doing all I can to save him."

This time, Danny can't help hugging her.

"With a little bit of luck," Danny thinks aloud, "the mob has walked all over Hesse and trampled him to death."

He feels Abby gripping him hard, thankful for the thought.

\-------------

As Abby closes the door behind her, going out for news of Steve's friends, the tension in the room ratchets up. Steve's not sure what he should do. Kissing Danny was kind of a given when faced with him right next to the gibbet he was almost hanged on. But now that they're safe, now that Danny has time to think about what Steve did to him by escaping, nothing seems so clear-cut anymore.

"What's with the face, again ?"

"Just wondering where we are now. If what happened to you changed anything between us."

"Really ? After that kiss, you really think I want anything else than touching you or kissing you again. You don't think that I count on you to make me forget everything else ?"

Steve is in Danny's arms in less than a second, and that's not only because the room is so small. And then they're kissing, getting each other naked in a frenzy. Danny is more forceful than ever but Steve gets it, the need to prove he's alive, that he can feel and be felt.

He lost weight in prison, but he's still just as gorgeous to Steve's eyes, blond and strong and fierce in bed. Steve lets himself be manhandled on the mattress the way Danny wants him. He's missed it so much, this feeling that Danny wants every part of him, and it's still true, even now, Danny wants him. It's evident in every caress on his back, every kiss on his chest. It's clear in the way Danny makes love to his cock, to his balls. It's almost painfully obvious when Danny can't wait anymore and sinks inside Steve with all the pent-up need of two still-new lovers separated for too long.

It's just so good that Steve can't stay entirely silent. He tries to keep his moans at a minimum but Danny makes him crazy, and he hears the reverse is true. Danny doesn't stop talking in bed, unless his mouth is otherwise engaged ; he encourages Steve and asks if he likes it, comments on his own feelings and offers always more. And Steve falls in love all the way again every time they're tied together like this, Danny deep inside him, pushing that little bit more to make sure all of Steve's body is loved and alighted from within.

Steve comes like he's been celibate for more than the few weeks they've been apart. He pushes up from the bed with the violence of his orgasm, taking Danny with him who comes in his turn in the next seconds. And then they lay there, hands all over each other, unable to let go and risk losing the other for a mere second of inattention.

"You think your friends will make it ?" Danny finally asks once they're lying on their side, face to face.

"I'm pretty sure. They've got the same training I do."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better ? You're good, Steve, very good, but you're still a man. The best proof is that you were caught once. You've been burned already, and I don't want to imagine what they'd do to you if they put you in jail again. They'd lock you down in a pit and throw away the key."

"It won't happen," Steve states with a confidence he's not entirely feeling but he doesn't want Danny to worry about him.

Not anymore. If they take this chance to live together, happy, they can't spend their time looking over their shoulders. They have to have faith in each other, trust that they can do it, despite all odds. Danny is a worrier, and it will take a huge leap of faith for him, but Steve knows he can get Danny there.

He leans forward for another kiss and Danny meets him in the middle, opening his mouth to share more of his passion with Steve. Their hands start to roam again, but the intent is sexier this time, Danny aiming right for his ass that he rubs again and again, fingers delving into his crack in search of his hole. Steve just takes a look at Danny's cock and then he moves, straddling his lover to impale himself once more. He feels he can't get quite enough, basks in this glorious sensation of being full and not alone anymore. Danny is his, and he's Danny's. They'll make it, together.

It's Steve who cleans them up after they get their breath back. But it's Danny who decides it's better to dress again in case Abby shows up. Propriety and all.

"So, what did you do when you left ?" Danny wonders after he deems Steve to be presentable in good company.

Steve's been dressing himself for a long time by now, but there's something to be said about the way Danny fusses over him, even if Steve tries to deny it and makes it look like it's annoying. Ultimately, he surrenders and basks in this, too.

"We went south, going as fast as possible to reach Hawaii quickly without looking like escapees, riding on winding roads to avoid raising too much interest. I spent some time catching up with my friends, about their lives and what happened in Hawaii in my absence. And then Meka came back with a message from Lord Noshimuri…"

"Adam ?" Danny cuts him off. "Adam Noshimuri ?"

"I think so, why ?"

"Remember the governor's envoy who came to Hohokus to talk to me ? It was Adam Noshimuri, the governor's deputy."

"Well, you made a great impression on him, because he tasked Meka with warning me that you had been arrested. So I rode back to come and deliver you."

"And you say it like it's just so simple. So normal. You're a freak, McGarrett, you know that ?"

It's said once again with so much affection that Steve can't take it the wrong way. Not when Danny leans up right after to kiss him, the best thank you Steve ever got.

"I couldn't let you pay for my deeds."

"Many would. Guess you're just special like that."

Steve wants to tell him more, about the kids traveling to safety as they speak, about the plans he's made to travel to Hawaii, about the investigation he needs to do to clear his name once and for all, but they hear noises and voices coming from the room beside their own and shush instantly to hide their presence until they know if the visitors are friendly or not.

"Danny, Steve," Abby's muffled voice reaches them before the door opens, "I'm with your friends."

Steve wasn't sure she would find them when she left, although she assured him that she knew what they looked like after seeing them fight the soldiers. But their faces had been masked, and even if Abby managed to find them, there was no certainty that any of his friends would agree to follow her. But she obviously found the right words, for Nick and Chin are here. Wary – Steve can see the tip of the knife pointing at the end of Nick's shirt's sleeve – but here.

Maybe that's the reason why he can feel Danny's hackles raising at the view of Nick. And surely because Nick is suicidal enough to gloat about the letter he left on Danny's desk.

"Sorry about the letter," he says, although he looks anything but sorry. "I thought at the time that it'd serve you right for taking my man McGarrett to bed."

"You did that ? You stupid bastard ! I guess you were also the one who forced Melissa to write me that Charlie was ill ?!"

"Danny," Steve yells, "stop !"

Steve has to put all his power in blocking a very pissed Danny's attack. He's not quite sure who he's protecting here, and he thinks that Nick sure deserves a good ass kicking for what he did to Danny, but he can't let it happen right now. With such a hot temper, Danny will find a time and a place, once they're all safe in Hawaii, to get his revenge on Nick Taylor. And Steve will be there to cheer him on.

"We don't have time for that," he reminds Danny, eyes locked with his lover. "We need to leave as fast as possible."

"Not now," Chin denies him. "You're safer here, as long as the soldiers keep searching the city. We heard the king is here and he brought more soldiers with him. We can't outrun them all."

"The king ?"Abby repeats, astonished. "What would he come for in Hohokus ?"

"Looking for Steve," Danny answers, worry all over his face as he grabs Steve's shirt in his hands and shakes him. "You shouldn't have come, it's too dangerous. I told you, if they get you back…"

"Danny, calm down. They're not gonna catch me. The king's presence just makes it a little bit more difficult to get out of the city, so we'll wait for night to fall and we won't go outside until it's dark enough. Okay ?"

He can see Danny's not convinced, but he shuts him up with a kiss.

They spend the next two hours eating the meal Abby kindly offers and then talking, those who just met learning to know each other. Steve can see that Chin is amused by this new side of him he never got to see, the lover who cares enough to sit close to his man, who keeps kissing him and being kissed. He can also see that the enmity between Danny and Nick doesn't get better ; on the contrary, they look for every opportunity to insult each other or ruffle the other's feathers.

When the time finally comes to leave, Steve takes a minute to stay behind with Danny and calm him down.

"Danny, please, I don't ask that you like Nick, but you have to trust he knows what he's doing. You can't be at each other's throats if we want to succeed."

"That man is just as much of a dick as guys like Hesse, you know it, don't you ?"

"No, he's not. He's had my back more than once and he's one of my oldest friends."

Danny grumbles something under his breath about trust, that Steve doesn't quite get but makes him smile.

"What ? Are you jealous, Danny ?"

Steve's glad his ribs are all healed because the question earns him a restrained punch right in the middle of the chest, instantly soothed by a kiss that can only be described as proprietary.

"I'm yours, Danno," Steve whispers when Danny ends the kiss, "never his."

Now is certainly not the time to admit that they fooled around once, back when sex was new and relationships ephemeral. Nothing like what he feels for Danny, this need to share everything with him, to stand by his side at all times.

Then Chin's voice calls on the two lovebirds and they leave the protection of Abby's small hidden room.

The night isn't as dark as Steve would have liked. A close-to-full moon lights the paved streets and makes it easier to not stumble every two step, but also paints their darker silhouettes far too clearly for anyone looking for them.

They're nearing the city limits, houses already few and far between, when they spot a squad of soldiers coming their way from the woods. They're spotted too, and they have to run for their lives. After a few minutes, it becomes clear there's no losing the soldiers and Steve knows what he's got to do.

"Danny," he orders in a whisper, "you hide here with Chin and Nick while I distract the soldiers and lure them in another direction. We'll meet at the rendezvous point in two hours."

"No, it's too dangerous. They know your face now. Why can't Nick go ? He doesn't look particularly Hawaiian, they won't arrest him if he's caught, not for long anyway. Sad as it may be, stupidity and arrogance are not a crime, they have nothing against him."

"Your boy's sense of humor leaves a lot to be desired, but he's right, Steve," Nick agrees with Danny for the first time.

"No !" he barks. "I'm the leader, I decide who goes where. Nick, you protect Danny. If anything happens to him…"

"I know, I can say bye to my balls."

"And you can kiss yours goodbye too if you do this, you hear me, McGarrett ?!" Danny's not impressed in the least by Steve's commanding voice and he makes it known.

"I hear you," Steve laughs, stupidly happy in light of the danger they're still in. "Good thing I know you love them."

With a waggled eyebrow and a kiss, Steve leaves the protective shadow of the house hiding them and makes enough noise to attract even the most incompetent tracker. Enough to mask the sound of Danny's hushed imprecations and threats to his manhood. And to Nick and Chin's, if they don't let go of him immediately.

Steve leads the hunt for a long moment, willing prey making his hunters look like fools as they reach him always a second too late. It's exhilarating and fun, and he doesn't realize the real danger he's in until the trap closes around him.

A second squad blocks the road. He looks around, trying to find another escape route, but the houses in this poorer district are too close to each other, the roofs made of thatch that won't hold his weight. He begins to climb anyway, gripping a window ledge, but then he feels at least three pairs of hands on him, hurling him back down to the ground. He's surrounded, unable to get up until he's cuffed.

"It's him," an officer pronounces after watching him in the light of a torch. "Take him to the king."

The soldiers silently obey, quickly leading him towards some other part of the city.

Danny's gonna kill him.

\-------------

The Hohokus city hall has been emptied of its usual workers, only to be invaded by the king and his suite. It looks nothing like the palace in Philadelphia, but it's clean at least. What's usually the city council's chamber has been turned into a throne room, hastily put together to host the throne that follows the king through all his travels. Symbols are important when you need to make an impression. Also, you can sit on a throne and still look regal, which makes it a lot more practical than a crown, and the king never really thought he had the kind of head to wear one, anyway.

The part that generally surprises the most those who deal with the king and his escort is the partial mask the highest servants of the country wear at all times. Masks that hide the lowest part of their faces and make it impossible for anyone not in the know to recognize them. This was instituted a very long time ago, by a king whose official goal was to combat the sovereigns' fierce egos in order to highlight their function instead. The current king has his doubt about this legend ; he's pretty sure his predecessor just wanted to be able to get out of the palace and live the high life on his own terms. But the masks remained, enhancing the fear the king invokes in his people.

Royal Deputy White enters the throne room and approaches the king, taking his own mask off as a gesture of respect before he bows deep.

"He’s here, Your Majesty," the deputy says as he stands back up straight. "Do you think this is such a good idea ? After all these years ?"

"We discussed this already, Joe. This is Steve we're talking about !"

"And also a rebel, most likely unfairly imprisoned and abused for two and a half years. Learning about your true identity is going to give him the perfect leverage to blackmail the crown into giving him every little rights he’s asked for in regards to his province."

"Our province, you mean. Did you forget where we’re from too ?"

"I haven’t, but just as you, I’ve had to put my previous allegiances aside to rule this whole, huge country. Giving in to McGarrett’s demands, the rest of the world not knowing why you’re caving in, would set a dangerous precedent."

"I know all this, Deputy."

"And you know this is my job to remind you of it when you’re on the brink of getting too... sentimental."

The king snorts. It’s not often that someone accuses him of too much sentimentality, not even someone as close as Joe, his oldest and closest friend. They share a knowing smile before Joe bows, puts his mask back on and then leaves to authorize the prisoner's entry into the throne room.

Despite the tough skin he had to grow through the years, the king's eyes get misty once Steven McGarrett enters the room, escorted by two soldiers who take their leave immediately.

The silence is thick between the king and the newcomer. In the absence of order or indication, Steve finally walks in until he stops in front of the royal dais.

"Your Majesty, why am I here ?" he asks.

The king stands up from the throne and climbs down the few steps. They're close in height like this, but even in his formal, thick royal habit, the king looks thin where McGarrett is broad of shoulders and strong in body. No doubt he could attack and do harm, but the king decides to take his chains off anyway. It doesn't become a McGarrett to stand in front of his king while being restrained.

The prisoner immediately proves the king was right to trust him when he puts a knee on the ground and bows his head.

"Your Majesty, I implore your pardon."

"Rise up, Lord McGarrett."

The man obeys and waits for the king's lead. His surprise is real when he watches the sovereign take off his mask, but it's nothing next to the way his eyes round up as they discover the face now fully appearing.

"Mother ?!"

"Steven," she answers.

"You're… What happened to you ?"Steve exclaims.

It seems to Doris her son has a hard time accepting her new appearance and she grins with joy.

"I got older, for one. Then I had to hide the truth of my birth. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hide your femininity ?"

Doris had to close her heart after the Calling, but she also had to change the way she looked. It was highly unusual for a woman to be chosen as royal deputy, not to mention king of all the land. After the premature death of King Wade, and the subsequent elevation of her brother Paul, only the fact that she was the deputy's twin, looking so much like him, had ensured that she was Called to the highest function of the realm after her brother's own passing. Joe White, who had followed her to the royal court and become King Paul's second Deputy, had naturally been made First Deputy when she sat on the throne.

This solution had made sure that there was no disruption in the country's administration, but it also went against pretty much every law, official or implicit, about the way to govern. Never had a woman been allowed to rule this land, and if news got out that the sister of the previous king had taken his place, then not only would she lose everything, but a major crisis would rip apart everything she and her predecessors had tried to build. No one could know.

Which is why facing her son after so many years is a big, very real risk. A calculated one, but still.

"I can't…" Steve begins, only to stop to try and find words to express his bewilderment. "How can you be here ? How can you be the _king_ ? We thought you were dead !"

Doris raises her hand to put on his cheek, but he backs off. No longer the young boy she left behind, eager for any sign of love, but a man, independent and wary.

"I was Called," she answers, as though it explains everything.

Which it does, but not for him, apparently. She needs to explain this in more details.

"What do you know about the way the government runs in this country ?"

"The basics, I guess. It's a tripartite college. The king, who rules over everything and everyone, and his two deputies, who are his closest advisors. The king is the front of the institution, while the deputies generally remain locked in the palace to avoid being swayed by one party or another."

"You're right, but there's also another reason why they're kept apart."

Doris makes a pause to manage a little bit of suspense, but patience's never been her son's forte.

"What is it ?" he asks. "Cultivating the mystery, keeping the uneducated masses under a spell ?"

Doris snorts, very unkinglike – it's been a long while since she stopped caring about whether she looked like a woman or not. Hazards of the job, really. She used to be rather proud of her fine silhouette, and felt a great deal of pleasure when men complimented her, even after she gave birth to two beautiful, plump babies.

"Partly, maybe. But the main goal is to avoid at all cost a political crisis. And that may happen if the king dies unexpectedly."

"You mean… you mean that the deputies might replace the king without public knowledge ?!"

Doris's always been so proud of Steven, and she is again, right now.

"They might. In fact, it happens most of the time, and that's how you find a woman as a king."

"But… What about us ? You disappeared one day, you and Joe, and it killed Dad. He thought you were either dead, or that you two had an affair, that you had run away together. He loved you both so much, his wife and his best friend, and he thought… Dad said there was no way you'd have left your children behind, so we thought… We didn't know what to think. You abandoned us !"

The last words hold so much pain in a single shout that Doris can't help coming closer to take her son in her arms, but Steve puts his hands up and takes a step back.

"I understand your pain and your anger," she says to calm him down. "I missed you all so much, I can't tell you how much. Maybe Joe could, since he's the one who had to listen to my whining about losing my family. But I had a Calling, one that you can't refuse. _You_ at least should be able to understand that."

"I do. What I don't get is why you couldn't tell your family, the people who loved you, that you were Called to some high functions."

"I couldn't. Not in my case, as a woman, it was strictly forbidden, and I couldn't take the risk that one of you would talk. Mary and you, you were still so young."

"So you threw us away. We, your family, we weren't good enough for you anymore."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course, you're still my family, I just couldn't refuse the Calling. Not when my brother told me he needed me, and there…"

"You have a brother ?!"

"I had. Paul, my twin. He ruled the country for three years after King Wade passed away, and then he died too. That's when I became the king."

"But why did you keep his existence a secret ? Did Dad know ?"

"No more than you. As for Paul… We were born into one of the wealthiest families of Philadelphia, and he was destined for great things. His Calling was the culmination of the family's ambitions, for it meant that there was a good chance for him to become king one day. Of course, no one was allowed to know during that time, but the glory would reach the family later, and that was enough. Paul had been raised apart for this very reason, to become a high servant of the crown, and yet he squashed my parents' hopes when he declared he wouldn't go into hiding and pretend he was dead unless I went with him. So the family reached out to Joe, who was the guard assigned to me when I chose to leave to marry your father – you see, I was the first twin to break the mold when I married a nobody, a squire from that far away peninsula. Your father wasn't exactly who my family would have had me marry, given the chance, so they didn't hesitate to call me back. Not because they thought I could play a political role, but they wanted me to push Paul into doing his duty. Joe was the first one to believe in me, he told me of the unexpected chance to become the first woman to occupy this high function. I had no right to refuse such an honor !"

"But you had the right to leave us with our grief. So why do you tell me all this now ? What changed that you think I can be allowed in on the secret now ? In your great scheme, I'm a nobody, just like my father."

"Don't be difficult, Steven. I didn't say I thought your father was a nobody, just that my parents did. As for you, being my son, you certainly are worth as much as any offspring of the most powerful families of this country. You could be Called. You could become king, one day."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Not if this means abandoning everything I hold dear. I won't leave anyone behind."

"You keep being overdramatic. Leaving a few friends behind means nothing if in return you can make sure that they live in a country where they are safe and able to feed their family day after day. That's what all the kings before me strived for ; that's what I'm doing, and that's what all the kings after me will keep striving for."

"Then you need to focus a little bit more on the faraway provinces, Mother. Hawaii, in particular. You let me rot for two years in the most horrid prison of your big, happy country, but still I can tell you that the people down in the peninsulas are feeling completely ignored and many of them are dying of hunger after Wo Fat stole all the province's resources. What is the crown doing to help them ?"

Doris felt the words like the personal attack they were and decided to sit down, showing Steve the big chair next to hers.

"Hawaii is my biggest failure," she admitted. "In the beginning, I didn't want to seem to favor this particular province. But now it's time. The situation is dire enough that it can explain my involvement. My first act will be to exonerate you of Governor Jameson's murder and pardon you for any crime you were ever accused of. I know it's not that much, but…"

"Then help me make it better. Do you know what happened to Wo Fat ? Where to find him ? I can't let my ohana be in constant danger, my family and any other people of Hawaii. I have to find him, to put an end to the menace he still is to the ones closest to me."

"Your family ?" Doris asks, surprised. "I wasn't aware you had one."

"My family," he insists. "My partner has two children. They're my family."

"You mean that forfeited warden ? Is he really the reason why you risked your life again ? Because he has now become your family ? A man who failed at his duty, who forced you to sleep with him and was found guilty of conspiracy against the crown. I read the minutes of his trial, Steve. He needs to be punished, to set the example by which other men of power will think twice before bedding prisoners and using them as slaves."

She sees immediately those were the wrong things to say.

"You have it all wrong, Mother, and you're taking your anger out on the only warden who ever protected me," Steve takes over, adding his truth to the list Doris just began. We're talking about a man the king knighted for his feat of arms. A man who never let me down, always coming back to me, unlike you. A man whose gentleness and care nursed me back to health after two years of abuses of all kinds because of _your_ orders."

"Steven, I never ordered…"

"As for being found guilty, I had two of my men following the trial, hidden behind an open window. That was just such a mockery of justice, you should be ashamed that those jurors dare say they're working in the king's name. For the king's glory !"

"Steven…" she tries again.

"No, hear me out ! I love Danny and I'm prepared to do anything do protect him, but the fact is, he had nothing to do with my escape. I was the only one responsible for that. You need to learn the truth. I was attacked by Bailiff Hesse, who took the opportunity of Danny's absence to come into my cell. The man said straight to my face that he was there to kill me, so I defended myself, and I knew after that it was either killing him or time to escape. I'm not a murderer, and I couldn't give him another chance to attack me, so I ran away. I was more useful alive, fighting for Hawaii, than dead in a mass grave in Hohokus."

Doris can't help being impressed. By Steven, not the warden.

"And yet you came back to save Williams, to take him with you to Hawaii."

"I did. I fell in love with him and my plan was to marry him. But once again, he didn't know what I had planned, it's my responsibility, no one else's. He wasn't there when I made any of my decisions, he didn't influence me one way or another."

Doris remains silent but she still feels a large amount of hate for the man who symbolizes all that was done to her son. Joe was very thorough in his search and the reports he gave her had Doris suffering nightmares for a few nights after that. All those men who believed they had the right to touch her son, to defile him. They deserve death, and more, and Williams is as good as any to bear the king's wrath. Steve might deludes himself with hopes of love and family, but Doris knows better. Like father, like son ; John and Steve, both too gentle and naïve. John always needed her firmer hand back then, and Steve does too nowadays, her ability to strike without remorse those who deserve it. But if she does this, she may definitely lose her son.

Steve is oblivious to her internal fight.

"So if you pardon me, it means that my men are free of all charges too."

"You drive a hard bargain, you know that ?" Doris laughs, even though pardoning them all is a given as it would be very difficult to explain why the leader was pardoned and not his underlings.

"I do, and you know I have a last request. Exonerate Danny. Make sure he won't ever be prosecuted or imprisoned for the crimes that have been wrongly attributed to him. Clear him of all charges and give him back all his possessions the court seized."

"Steven," Doris sighs, "Williams made his bed, now he has to lie in it."

"No, don't give me that kind of bullshit answer. I'm pretty sure you had your people investigate Danny. You know he's not the kind of man to go against a direct order. And if he ever did, he'd have owned up to it, for it would take very good reasons for him to do so, which he would have explained at the trial, painstakingly, in as many words as possible. You have to know it since you thought he was heroic enough to knight him."

"I'm not the one who knighted your _Danny_. King Wade did. I must admit, he was quite taken with the man."

"I certainly hope he was. Danny ended the war for him when he caught General Hirsch !"

"Oh please ! Hirsch was a buffoon. Anyone could have caught him."

"I know, Danny told me about him. But Hirsch's army was not for laugh and giggles. So many men died that day, on both sides ! Danny himself was injured, but he pushed through, and he put an end to a deadly conflict which had seen far too many deaths already. If you can't respect that, can't respect the fallen soldiers, how can you understand your own country ? Pretend you care about your people ?"

Doris holds her head straight, stung by the overt insult to her ability to rule the country.

"Careful, son. I won't have you question my respect for our veterans and current soldiers."

"Then what it is ? Why can't you respect Danny in the same way ? Is it jealousy ? Because he's more family to me after knowing him for half a year than you ever were in all my life ?"

It stings even more, and yet it feels true enough that Doris finds herself bending to Steven's will.

"Very well," she yields. "I'll give the order."

"Now. I want a copy of all decrees when I leave this place."

Doris is tired of fighting about this, so she rings the bell hung on the throne, replacing her mask before anyone enters. It serves not only to mask her face, but also to hide her voice, making it deeper, more masculine.

A young aide-de-camp answers her call and takes a deep bow in front of her.

"Majesty, you rang ?"

"Summon Lady Catherine and tell her to wait at the door. I shall call on her soon."

"Right away, Majesty."

She waits for the aide to be gone before she takes her mask down once more and turns back to Steven.

"So tell me, is there any way I could convince you to stay here and work with me ?"

"You know I can't. My life is in Hawaii."

"I could find ways to send you there regularly. This doesn't have to be an either/or situation."

"Thank you, but based on what my friends told me, the challenges we're facing in Oahu and the rest of the province will need my full attention after Wo Fat's damages."

"I could command you. I could issue a Call."

"No, because I know who you are now. You can't force me, unless you want me to tell everyone who the king is."

"But then you would stoop as low as Wo Fat."

"What do you mean ?"

"That Wo Fat knew who I was, and he used this knowledge to force my hand. Many times."

"Then you understand how much of a danger he is. Now will you help me find Wo Fat or not ?"

"What do you intend to do ?"

"I'm sorry, Mother, but I can't tell you."

"Come on, Steven, I'm not trying to put a spoke in your wheel. If you want my help, you have to give me more than that."

"Why ? All I need is a location, and I will smoke him out for you. We both know your position is just as precarious as mine. If Wo Fat decides to speak up, you'll have an insurrection on your hands. You don't want that."

To be honest, this is one of the reasons why the king decided to meet Steven McGarrett. Wo Fat is too much of a safety risk, he has to be dealt with. The king knows that, but Doris, the mother, doesn't want her son anywhere near that evil man.

"You're right," she finally relents, the king in her winning, as always, "I don't want this. But you're wrong if you think I know where the man is hiding. I don't even have proof that he's alive."

She's not going to tell him that the man disappeared after a failed attempt on his life perpetrated by Joe White, under order of the king. That Joe lost his trace despite his network of informants, so that they have no way to know if Wo Fat crawled into a hole to die, or if he's just taking the time to heal from the injuries Joe inflicted, gathering enough money and allies to strike back.

"Because Wo Fat knows who I am, I couldn't prevent him from seizing the governorship after Jameson was killed. And I have no proof, but that's probably because he knew I had just been elevated to the rank of king that he took upon himself to kill her. This was his double message to me. He knew the truth of her identity, just like he knew mine, and he could kill me just as easily as her."

She thought the revelation of Jameson's true gender would shock him but she's disappointed.

"You knew about Jameson being a woman ?" this revelation seems more surprising to Steve.

"Of course I knew. Who do you think chooses the governors ? How did _you_ know ?"

"I saw her dead body ! So you chose her ?"

"Not me, Paul did. But I was the one who advised him to do so. I knew Patricia, we grew up together. She was the right woman for the job. I told her how to hide the fact that she wasn't a man, and she worked wonders for Hawaii."

"Did the governor had some information about Wo Fat that could help us ? And do you think he killed her personally ?"

"I don't have any answer, Steven. Are you even sure he did kill her ?"

"As sure as one can be in those circumstances. He was the one who had the most to gain from her death, and it became evident when he seized power."

She watches her son as he thinks for a few seconds, and admires his beauty. Once again, she experiences the dichotomy of her positions as king and mother. The king thinks it's no wonder those dirty men wanted to put their hands on him, and he begins to plot how to best use the sheer attraction projected by Steve onto the people surrounding him. But it makes it all the more terrible to the mother in her, the thought of more devils sullying her angel.

Then Steve turns and looks her straight in the eyes.

"Did you know I was in prison ? Did you condone what was done to me ? All the abuses, the mistreatments ?"

"No !" she cries, and this time she manages to take his hands in hers. "No, not for a long time. As I understand it, you were masked and no one knew your name, am I right ? Everyone believed you were still out there, fighting with your rebel gang. Joe realized later that your friends didn't advertise your being taken either, to keep using your name as the symbol it was."

She watches his Adam's apple move as he tries to swallow her news.

"Then when did you learn I was there ?"

"Not long after Wo Fat disappeared. I appointed Samuel Denning as the new governor, and he was the one who found out about you when he went through the papers Wo Fat left behind. He hardly dared telling me what he had discovered, for fear I would flay the messenger – in all honesty, I must say there were a few days at that time when I was particularly unforgiving with those who tried my patience. Denning asked me to let you go, offering to send you back home, but I didn't trust those friends of yours either, so I had you sent to another prison rumored for its warden's leniency. There at least, I thought you'd be protected. I never imagined this man would take advantage of you, just like the others."

"I already told you it wasn't like that. Please, let's not do this again."

She takes a deep breath and lets it go. For now.

"So, did I pass ? Are you going to tell me what you intend to do about Wo Fat ?"

"There's nothing to tell right now. I have a hard time believing he's dead, so I will search for him, hunt him down. I won't leave any stone unturned, and I'll find him. That's all I can say right now, but that's a promise."

\-------------

Danny wakes up with the mother of all headaches. He doesn't remember drinking at all but berates himself anyway, until the memory of a powerful blow to the back of his head surges as he gingerly fondles the goose egg that, considering the position of the sun in the sky, had quite a few hours to develop under his thick hair.

Taylor ! The bastard hit him when Danny tried to run after Steve. He's going to skewer the guy and feed him his innards. Cut his dick off and give it to the pigs. If anything happened to Steve…

"Take it easy," a gentle voice advises him as he tries to sit up and moans loudly to express how dumb an idea that was.

He fights to open his eyes again and take in his surroundings. He's travelling in an open cart and the other man, sitting in front, gathers the reins in one hand to be able to offer him his flask.

"I'm Meka," he says while Danny drinks to wet his parched throat, "Meka Hanamoa. I'm a friend of Steve's."

"I know," Danny remembers, giving back the flask, "and you work for Adam Noshimuri. You'll have to thank Adam for me. I'd be dead without him. And you, in fact. So thanks, man."

Danny offers Meka a hand to shake, realizing at the same time he's tied to the cart by a long and strong chain, and he swears again he's gonna kill Taylor slowly and very painfully.

"Can you take this off ?" he asks Meka.

"Sorry, I can't."

Meka looks almost apologetic.

"You can't, or you won't ?"

"Bit of both, I guess. I don't want to incur Nick's wrath, or Steve's disappointment if you run after him and get caught."

"What do you mean, run after him ? Where is he ?"

Meka's grimace doesn't bode well.

"Meka, where's Steve ?" he insists and looks at the sun again. "It's been more than two hours. Tell me he's back. Or we're the ones late to the rendezvous point, is that it ? Tell me !"

"I'm sorry, Danny. We haven't heard from him yet, that's why Nick put you in the cart and asked me to drive you south."

"South ? As in Hawaii ? Without Steve ?"

"Yes, to Hawaii. Nick and Chin stayed behind to see if they can find Steve but we have to regroup and get home. The longer we stay out here, the bigger the danger."

"Meka, even with Steve, I can't go to Hawaii. I have to go to my children, let them know I'm alive. And my family, they have to be worried sick ! I can't leave like that."

"I'm sorry, Danny. I have my orders. You'll have to take it up with Steve. Or Nick."

\-------------

"Your Majesty wanted to see me ?"

"Yes, Lady Catherine. Come in."

The beautiful young woman, wearing a pricy dress and a convoluted headdress over her dark hair, smiles pleasantly at Steve as she makes her way towards the throne.

"Catherine, this is my son. Steve, meet Lady Catherine Rollins, the favorite."

Steve manages to hide his surprise enough that neither woman calls him on it.

"Lord McGarrett," the favorite salutes him with a light but earnest curtsey.

"Lady Catherine," he replies, bowing as little as possible.

The woman seems sincere enough, but he won't be swayed by a pretty face. Favorites have been used by sovereigns throughout history to gain knowledge and good will as well as attention and prestige. After what his mother put his family through, he wouldn't put it past her to use her lover to get information from him. Or to try and turn him away from Danny.

"Lady Catherine is not only my lover," Doris explains, "though she has everything a male king could want, which makes it easier for me to keep the charade. She is also my foremost informant. Her charm is equaled only by her sincere interest in people. Which is why no one is better than her at making people talk and bringing me the information I need."

"Okay," Steve says, neutral.

"She will be our liaison," his mother continues, guileless, though he can't help being sure there's a double entendre here, a test of his devotion towards Danny. "She will travel frequently to Oahu to collect your reports. I want regular updates on how your research is going when it comes to Wo Fat. For this, you will use the governor mail coach. You will also report to Lord Denning every time he calls upon you, and you might have to work for him at times if he needs your expertise or special knowledge of the province."

"I won't betray my friends."

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm just saying that I can't at the moment make you officially my deputy in Hawaii, not until Wo Fat is found or pronounced dead. In the meanwhile, I ask that you refrain from targeting royal belongings, so that I don't have to send you to jail again, and that you and your friends act as a police force in those places where the governor holds no real power. Is that something you'd like to do for your country, Lord McGarrett ?"

Steve feels the emotion like a hand squeezing his throat tight and he blinks, twice or thrice, rapidly, to get rid of the speck of dust in his eye. All those years fighting, and then jail time… it all seems so different now. He has Danny, a new life to look forward to, and this at last. An endorsement, a recognition – even if somewhat tempered – of the good he's done for the land and the people he loves.

"When you say police force, do you mean that I have authority over everyone, tax collectors as well as common thieves ? Violent lordlings as well as plebeian murderers ?"

"Provided you don't abuse it and that you learn to abide by the rules, absolutely."

"I will. I can't promise I won't ever have to resort to violence, but I won't actively seek it. Danny wouldn't let me, anyway."

He probably could have done without this little reminder, tailored specially for the king, that Danny will be by his side, but… no, in fact, he couldn't, because he still has trouble believing he's going to get all he ever wanted, including this incredible man. He might have to remind himself more than once every day until he rejoins his friends and can take Danny in his arms again.

He can't wait suddenly. He has to leave, ride towards Hawaii, now. He needs not only Danny, but the scent of the wind blowing in the trees, down in his peninsula, the sight of the ocean connecting with the land in high jets of water. He's not sure if he'll ever see his mother again, but then he's lived most of his life without her. He doesn't need her. Doesn't recognize her in this genderless stranger who looks at him with a mixture of motherly love and calculated interest, both equally disconcerting. He's not even sure he believes her when she assures him she didn't know about his imprisonment. Wo Fat kept him alive as a bartering card to get the king to do his bidding, it's now very clear to him. Which means there's a very good chance he told her from the get-go her son was in his hands.

His suspicions are just as terrible when he thinks of the person who had the most to gain from Wo Fat's death. Or maybe the most to lose. Any way he looks at it, the king's name tops the list of likely culprits.

He never expected to see his mother again, and this is not the happy reunion he could have hoped for. Whatever Doris might imagine, he doesn't feel anything for her, and it's time for him to go. She does still know him enough that she's able to read it in his eyes, along with his doubts and questions.

"Catherine," she says, "go find my secretary and bring him back with you. Tell him to bring whatever he needs to write several _lettres de cachet_. The king has decrees to dictate. People to exonerate."

"Yes, Majesty."

With a curtsey, Lady Catherine is gone to fulfil her orders.

"I want you to travel with Catherine," the king orders Steve once they're alone. "That way, you and she can establish a rendezvous point, since I guess you won't agree to take her to your secret camp. She will take to the governor the same letters I'm going to give you so that Denning will enforce my orders in the whole province. You will be free to go, and respected, not as my son, of course, but as the leader of the special police force of the crown."

Steve's mother turns into the distant king once more when Lady Catherine is back with the secretary. Many precious letters are written, that Steve checks up to every last detail, and most of all the one pardoning Danny. Doris has been so hard on him that Steve only half trusts her to keep her word about Danny's freedom.

While the man writes under dictation, Steve tests for the first time Lady Catherine's well of information.

"Do you know what became of Bailiff Hesse ?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," she replies pleasantly. "He was attacked by the mob and transported in a hurry to the hospital. Doctors are not overly optimistic about his recovery."

\-------------

They've met with Steve's friends, but of Steve himself there's still no sign. Danny worries more and more and Taylor is getting on his last nerve. They already had a fight the previous day when Danny called him a coward for leaving Steve behind and running away with his tail between his legs. There's a good chance for another fight today.

"You gotta let me go," he demands as soon as he spots Steve's second. "My kids need me."

"Sorry, Danno, that's not an option."

"Okay, first, you don't get to call me Danno. Second, that's an option if I say it is. And I do, so unchain me and let me go on my way."

"And explain to Steve after that that I had to let your majesty go because you asked me to ? Sorry, _Danno_ , still not an option."

Danny fumes, but there's nothing he can do at this minute.

There's something terribly wrong about this man. It's more than the fact he enjoys doing exactly what Danny told him not to, or that he visibly takes great pleasure in pushing his buttons. Danny can't quite explain it, but his gut tells him he can't be trusted, and Danny's never ignored such a strong hunch. Not since he kissed Angela Wharton's cheek when they were both twelve, and then as a result found himself pushed into the ocean for taking liberties she hadn't offered. It also cured him of answering stupid dares issued by so-called friends. Just like ignoring his hunches, those never end well.

And so he's stuck. This is not the longest trip of his life, the army provided a lot of change of scenery back when he was younger. But it feels like it when you're tied up and don't have any say in your fate. When you fulminate and keep on thinking that your children are far from you – farther every day – and maybe in danger. That your lover is missing and most likely in danger too, potentially back in prison.

"Danny, it's okay," Meka tries to reassure him. "You'll see your kids soon, I promise."

On the other hand, Meka is great. He's just the opposite of Taylor. Easy smile, friendly demeanor, he talks to Danny constantly when his dick of a boss is not around. He tells Danny about his wife Amy, and their son Billy, about his wish to arrest those who profit from their status to gain money, judged by the same people they've robed. In the weeks traveling to Hawaii takes, Danny and Meka become friends.

Danny tells him about his own kids, and his whole family. Including Steve, of course, but when Meka begins to talk in return about the one he considers like a semi-god, Danny realizes they're not quite envisioning the same person. No one looks like a semi-god in prison, not even the man you're in love with.

It makes him doubt, of course. Is he crazy to want a relationship with a man he hardly knows ? Not in his real life anyway, not as the leader of a rebellion he feels sympathetic to but that definitely goes against the law he's strived his whole life to serve. Not even mentioning this, what about the everyday life, all those little details that make a relationship successful or unbearable and that Danny escaped when he became tipstaff at Fort Hohokus, bypassing the boring and often irritating moments of married life. He knows how Rachel and he felt after a few years, conjugal bliss a memory. He knows that apart from his close family, people tend to stop loving him when they discover the real Danny. So if Steve and he aren't already secure on the foundations of their life as a couple, how could they withstand the storms they're sure to run into ?

He's moody and depressed, and Taylor's goads are like salt on his injured heart. Danny tries to tell himself that he saw the real Steve in Hohokus, the one behind the mask of the leader, the man deprived of dignity who commanded Danny's respect by still standing tall and strong. But doubt is Danny's middle name. He's like St Thomas, he believes what he can see, and Steve isn't here to make him a believer.

It gets only worse when they get to the last leg of their trip. The weather has become hotter than ever and Taylor decides to blindfold him in a show of mistrust that fails to impress Danny. All in all, Danny understands they're close to their destination. His worry about what happened to Steve surges to new height, and he can _see_ he's not the only one in this. Meka, Chin, Kono… they're all worried. Only Taylor keeps his cold front in place.

To ignore the horrible likelihood of Steve back in prison, Danny focuses on his other fears. What if Steve finally looks at him and sees the same thing Taylor does ? What if some old lover is waiting for him to take their place back in Steve's heart ? What if this, and what if that ? Danny's never in pain to find new reasons to imagine a terrible end to their love story. And he can't even reassure himself with the knowledge that his kids at least are safe and happy.

When the cart stops for the last time, Danny's not ready to face the new life waiting for him. He's got no idea where they are beyond the certainty that this place is somewhere in Oahu, or how many people look at him right now. A lot, it seems, judging by the brouhaha of many voices, some talking in a language he doesn't even recognize.

Hands grip him by the arms and help him get down the cart. Danny isn't helping, ranting to be let go. Serves them right for blinding him, good if they don't like it !

Someone cuts his ties, and then his blindfold is taken off. Danny's eyes open as wide as they can.

"Steve ?!" Danny exclaims when he's finally sure he's not dreaming. "But… how comes you're here ?"

"I took the direct roads, not the countryside tracks. I've been here for a few days already."

Danny takes in his surroundings, sees the many people smiling at them, and then turns back to his lover. Steve's arms have come around him and they are so close now that Danny doesn't know what to look at, Steve's eyes or Steve's lips, the happiness radiating off of him that he knows is matched on his own face, the feeling of his warm body that he missed so much while they were separated. Soon, they lean towards each other and kiss, fervently, bodies molding against the other, Steve following him and asking for more kisses as soon as Danny tries to come up for air and speak.

"Steve !" he finally manages to say. "Listen to me ! I'm so happy to be here, more happy than you'll ever know, because you're here, and you're well, and free, but I can't stay. It kills me but I have to go. I have to find my children. They're in danger now that I'm free."

"No, you don't have to leave, Danny. Your children are here."

"Here ?"

"Didn't you think the first thing I'd do was to keep your children safe ? I knew that would be your first instinct, so I did it for you."

Steve looks far too adorable for Danny to resist kissing him again.

"I will thank you privately and very profusely later when we're alone," he states against his lover's lips, low enough to be sure no one but Steve can hear him, and his blush proves that his meaning was clear to him. "But now I need to see Grace and Charlie to reassure them I'm safe."

Steve swallows, as if pushing down the images of Danny taking him. He pecks him one last time, and then, Danny's hand in his own, leads him towards another part of the camp. People keep smiling at them as they walk, maybe because Steve looks happier than Danny's ever seen him.

"Do they know that I was your prison guard for such a long time ?" Danny asks.

"If they don't, I'll have to make sure that everyone knows you protected me and made sure my life was still good."

Danny forgets everything else when he hears his name yelled by two young voices he'd recognize anywhere.

"Daddy ! Danno !" the voices repeat before two small bodies collide with his and more arms come around him, never to let him get away again.

He kisses the kids again and again, taking a good look at each of them to find them healthy and radiating happiness. Steve joins their little love fest, snaking one arm around Danny's shoulders and the other securing the kids with them.

From the corner of his eyes, Danny gapes when he sees Melissa and Eric, looking at him with the same happy expression. Duke and Nahele are standing a few feet apart, and they're all smiling at him.

Danny turns back to Steve and kisses him hard.

\-------------

_Epilogue_

They've shared a lot of explanations – Danny's pretty sure Steve is keeping some things from him but he has time now to pry it all from his lover in a leisurely fashion. Danny has been introduced to the beautiful lady Catherine – another worry to add to the long list he keeps updated, but he was relieved to learn she was blindfolded too before Steve brought her to the camp – and to many friends of Steve's – some who looked happy about him, some others a lot less, whatever the reason. Then they had dinner, a banquet really, because even though the food was scarce, there were lots of people, far too many to remember them all.

Danny's totally ready to retire for the night and be with Steve only, which he tells him, lips against his ear, as soon as he's able to without offending anyone on day one in the camp he plans to live in for as long as Steve will.

Steve's answering shiver tells him they're on the same page. They need to be alone together at last, relearn each other once more. Danny's fingers itch to touch Steve's skin, his cock twitches in anticipation and response to Steve's every little touch, every sweet caress under the table.

They already said good night to the kids when Melissa took them to bed so there's no reason they can't leave. Steve takes his hand and they stand up, moving away without anyone trying to stop them. Maybe the possessive arm over his shoulders lets everybody know that they need to be together. Maybe the reverence those people obviously lavish Steve with comes in handy to offer them the necessary respect that allows them to slip off quietly.

They take their time going through the woods the camp is hidden in. More than once, Danny can't help pushing Steve against a tree to kiss him, and Steve isn't better at refraining himself.

Danny is curious to see Steve's place and his surprise is great when he sees it.

"You live in that ?!"

Steve makes a face but doesn't argue.

The small cabin is built about three feet high above the ground. They access it with a rope ladder that reminds Danny that Steve used to travel at sea before he took up rebellion leader as his new day job. The sea Danny knows is only a mile away, ready to take Steve back. He's not sure if this is another topic of worry he should add to the list, now that the king is backing him up and Steve is about to see his quest ending : becoming a sailor's companion, one constantly waiting for his lover to come back to him. It would probably be his just deserts after what he put Rachel through, but he hates the idea all the same. If he has too, he'll follow Steve onto his ship. No way is he letting his man go without a fight.

His thoughts take an entirely different turn as he looks at Steve's ass climbing the ladder and then going into the cabin. Now is for reconnecting, and making love, he tells himself.

Tomorrow will come soon enough, with his unending trail of new questions and worries.

He's got so much to lose now.

\-------------

As soon as the door is closed behind Danny's back, Steve starts undressing. It's a quick job in this weather, quicker than in the Jersian winter. There's no undershirt to deal with, no double layer of socks. Just light clothes and swift nakedness.

Danny's eyes are just as ravenous as ever as they take in his naked body. Darkness has fallen through the trees so there's not much light in Steve's home at this late hour of the day but for the oil lamp giving just enough clarity to paint shadows on his skin, hopefully making him look mysterious enough that Danny will want to travel the distance between them and touch him. Make him feel alive again like he can't remember ever feeling before they found each other.

Danny does approach. He looks on the prowl, dangerous cat ready to pounce on his very willing prey. Or snake maybe, hypnotizing his just as willing victim. Whatever the metaphor, Steve can't wait to see what Danny will do to him, how the tricks he'd found work the best, back in Hohokus, will work here on his lover. They're both free to go their own way now, nothing tying them to one another anymore, and Steve isn't sure he likes it that much. Danny's not going anywhere and Steve's prepared to do anything to ensure this fact.

Steve shivers once more when Danny settles against him. Being naked in front of his wholly clothed lover takes him back to the time in the fort, and particularly the first days after becoming lovers, feeling dazed and loved and beautiful. It reminds him of the baths that Steve dreaded so much at first, and then began to look forward to, before he simply learned to use them as a powerful tool in the conquest of one Daniel Williams.

In the few days while waiting for Danny's arrival down here in Oahu, Steve's let loose all his fantasies and he's decided to institute a new rule in their house : as the leader of the rebellion, not to mention the king's son, he's entitled to create a new position. Something he's taken to call bath-boy, though he doubt Danny will like it, and there's only one person Steve wants to fill the job. He might have to sweeten the pot by offering him another job, a real one this time, as his deputy. Brother in arms, second in command. Whatever fits the task his mother gave him, as long as Danny keeps on washing him every day before they go to work together.

It might not be that hard to sell, considering how Danny is already reveling in the spirit of his new function, kissing Steve's neck with enthusiasm.

"Danny," he whispers, overwhelmed. "I missed you so much. I love you so much."

"Are you sure this is love ?" Danny wonders, always so insecure. "That you're not just grateful ?"

Steve looks Danny in the eyes. His answer has to be heard and believed.

"Grateful wouldn't have pushed me to put my life on the line again after I was free, not when I was needed here. Grateful is not the only thing I feel for you, you can trust me on that. And you know what, I realized I had totally forgotten for a while the reason why I wanted so badly to come back to Hawaii."

"What's that ?" Danny asks, hands still caressing Steve's back.

"My fight first, of course, but also find the reason why I was arrested and thrown in jail with no one the wiser. I knew there was something hidden under the reasons I was given, I was obsessed for a long while with finding out what that was, but then, when I thought of you, miserable and locked in a cell like I was, I just couldn't care about anything else anymore and I had to go back to save you. Because I don't want to live without you, Danny. Not now, not ever."

It's just so Danny to think that no one can love him, not really, not in the way Steve does. But if he has to, Steve will spend his life proving to him that his feelings are the kind that never go away and only keep getting stronger as time passes.

The kind of love that changes a man. Danny's seen him at his worst, at his lowest, powerless and miserable. He's witnessed humiliations visited on Steve, or their consequences anyway. He's met a Steve no one had ever seen before, the one deprived of his pride and will to live, and still Danny fell in love with him. He accepted Steve the way he was, and in the process helped him become someone else, accept that part of him Steve had always put down hard. He's learned that there's no shame in being weak at times, not when you can lean on the one who loves you. That's why being naked in front of this man is so freeing, sharing with him everything he is.

He wonders how they will go from there now that he's back at the helm and doesn't intend to step down again, but he's not worried. He loves a good challenge, and Danny is nothing if not the biggest one of all. He will contradict Steve at every turn if he thinks he has to, make his voice heard, and Steve will love him for it.

They're kissing now, Danny's hands taking advantage of Steve's nakedness as they make their way to the bed. Then they're lying down together without Steve really remembering how they got there, Danny on top of him.

So immersed in his body's feeling he can't quite keep thinking either, Steve yelps when he feels Danny's hand closing around his balls, in a way not meant to give pleasure.

"You left me behind," Danny recalls, hand like a vice around Steve's balls, "and I warned you what'd happen if you did."

"I did, but it worked for the best, didn't it ?" he smiles to charm his lover.

If anything, Danny's eyes pin him down with the same added strength his hand applies to the grip on his balls. It lasts long enough that Steve begins to get nervous, and his scrotum a lot more so.

"If you ever do that again," Danny threatens, loud and clear, "I'll put your balls _and_ dick in a very small metal box with a lock, and I'll throw away the key. Get it ?"

"Got it. But you love them too much to lose the key."

Steve kind of squeaks when the grip tightens. It's not painful yet, just teasing the edge of forceful and arousing, the best way to get Steve's undivided attention

"As pretty as they are, I love you more, so now would be a good time to learn to be cautious. Do you understand me ?"

Steve feels himself turning to mush hearing Danny's words of love.

"I do, Danny. I really do. And I love you too. You won't lose me, I swear. You and me, we're here for the long haul."

Danny looks at him as if searching for the truth and whatever he finds must appease his fear for his hand gets more amorous than threatening. He rubs Steve's balls against each other and Steve's eyes close, giving himself back to the sensation.

There's no more threat after that. Breath taken away by kisses, they caress each other, they give and get pleasure, and their level of urgency rises. They don't even need words to understand it's time. Danny slides into him as Steve opens up wide to let him in, in all the ways that count. And he cries out, because it's so good, and he wants more, he can't give a damn if anyone hears him. On the contrary, he wants everyone to know, to feel as great and connected to the one they love as when Danny is with him, totally, just like they are in this moment, joined, crazy with love and lust.

Danny's losing it, running after their pleasure, and Steve knows they won't last much longer. He closes his legs around Danny's waist and pushes as hard as he can to get him inside as deep as possible. They moan almost in unison and kiss feverishly. Danny's hands run over Steve's ass, loving and possessive, and Steve doesn't even have time to take his cock in hand before he feels himself coming hard. His eyes close on their own volition and he savors the incredible feelings rushing through him.

Danny's coming too, and it's so beautiful, such a gift that Steve's legs don't want to let go of him.

He has to, after a fashion. Danny wants to rest by his side. He tells himself it's preferable, that it's too hot here to sleep stuck against one another, but he doesn't believe himself for long. Not when his body takes over and rolls on the side to be able to see Danny and take the image of his gorgeous lover with him into his dreams.

Tomorrow, or soon enough, when the time is right, he'll ask Danny to marry him, to make an honest man of him. The few days he's spent with the children here in the camp before Danny arrived have made him pretty sure he wants to be involved in their lives too. Wants them all to be a big family, just like he told his mother. He'll love them both like they're his, because they're Danny's and because they're great kids.

With Danny by his side, Steve thinks, there's nothing he doesn't feel capable of accomplishing.

Wo Fat can come. He's ready to take him.

\-------FIN-------

**Author's Note:**

> As I said above, the story was much longer than I thought at first, so long that I had to cut some threads and end it there to finish and meet the deadline. But I fell in love with my heroes, hard, and Wo Fat, like a bad habit, is extremely difficult to get rid of, so there's a very good chance that I may revisit them all someday.
> 
> I have no plan to do so at this very moment, and many other stories to tell – especially that other big bang from another fandom I alluded to in my notes up there that I still want to finish. So don't count on a sequel anytime soon. 
> 
> Lastly, the [Chevalier d'Éon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevalier_d%27%C3%89on) was a French diplomat and spy in the 18th century, famous for being such a believable transvestite that everyone wondered until his death what sex he really was born into. As is often the case, his life looks more fascinating and fictional than anything a writer could come up with ! He was my inspiration for a particular plot point of this fic.


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